Disneyland' comes to Baghdad with multi-million pound entertainmen

[guyser]

To be satirical, a modern Iraqi amusment park would probably have rides like:

The Carbombanator

Pirates of the Shatt al Arab

Leap to Tikrit

Mr Hussein's Wild Drop

Dick Cheney's Scary Adventure

It's a Small War Afterall

Dumbo the Flying President

Embeded in the Kirkut Room

The Naming of Mohammed the Pooh

Roger Rabbit's Halberton Convoy

The Haunted Prison

The Mad Hatter's 4th Tour of Duty

Indiana Jones and the Quest For thr Lost Exit Strategy

...etc...

Now that was funny ! Good one!

[Guest American Woman]

Disneyland in Iraq can wait. It can wait a long time.

I get the impression that is not part of the plan to actually rebuild Iraq. Basic needs like clean water and electricity, food, clothing, a home are ignored in order to have an amusement park built

Evidently those basic needs are being "ignored" by private corporations all over the world. To my knowledge, it was never "part of the plan" that private corporations should fill that responsibility. If you think this corporation should fill that "need," then the same should be expected of corporations all over the world.

It amazes me how so many people can only see one aspect of this park. They can't see that Iraqis want to have fun, to have an 'escape from the real world where kids can be kids;' they can't see that this will create a lot of jobs; and they can't see that it will help jump-start the factories in Iraq. It's as if people have blinders on and can only see one narrow aspect of it. Furthermore, I don't think any of us have the right to say whether the park (which is NOT Disneylan) needs to be built or not. It's not up to us to say whether or not Iraqis should have a place such as this to take their families.

Furthermore, the U.S. has helped rebuild the zoo: Baghdad Zoo Makes a Comeback/With Violence Down, Iraqis Flock to Rrevitalized Baghdad Zoo

The zoo's revival coincides with a reduction in violence across the capital. As a result, Iraqis are increasingly going outside for their leisure time. And in recent months an average of 8,000 to 10,000 Iraqis visit the zoo each week, paying about 20 cents each for admission, said Adel Salman Mousa, who has been the zoo's director for the past 18 years.

On a recent sunny spring afternoon, Iraqi families packed the zoo. Young couples sat side-by-side on park benches, teenagers rowed small boats in the zoo's pond and families took pictures with their cell phone cameras of the bears and other animals behind green cage bars.

Ahmed Noori, a Baghdad dentist who came here with his wife and 1-year-old daughter, said the zoo is a getaway for Iraqis who live under the constant threat of bombings and shootings.

"The Iraqi people are tired and need more places to relax like the zoo," he said. "This is one of the only well-protected areas that is safe."

Over the past year and three months, the U.S. Army has spent more than $2.15 million on the zoo, supplying it with generators because it receives only two hours of electricity a day, building new bathrooms for visitors, cleaning up trash, repairing cages and providing medicine to its animal clinic.

"Zawra Park and the zoo are the only escape for people in Baghdad, and the improvement in security and the work of Coalition Forces has made it a haven for people," Mousa [the zoo's director] said.

Edited May 8, 2008 by American Woman

[buffycat]

Let them eat cake...

that's what comes to mind here.

Sad

[buffycat]

To be satirical, a modern Iraqi amusment park would probably have rides like:

The Carbombanator...

Indiana Jones and the Quest For thr Lost Exit Strategy

...etc...

-------------------------------------------

Ho-Ho-Ho...Green Giant

So, Dog, I guess you would find aptly named 'amusements' at Auschwitz 'humourous'?

[guyser]

So, Dog, I guess you would find aptly named 'amusements' at Auschwitz 'humourous'?

No , that would be stupid. It is stupid to compare them to boot.

[DogOnPorch]

So, Dog, I guess you would find aptly named 'amusements' at Auschwitz 'humourous'?

I put 'for satirical purposes' just for you, sweetie...you predictable bleeding heart.

XXOOXX kisses....lol

(Thanks for the compliment, guyser.)

-----------------------------------

Joke's on you.

[Guest American Woman]

I agree with guyser, DoP. You came up with some pretty clever names.

[WIP]

Furthermore, the U.S. has helped rebuild the zoo: Baghdad Zoo Makes a Comeback/With Violence Down, Iraqis Flock to Rrevitalized Baghdad Zoo

Nice to have an amusement park and a zoo, but these stories are just cheap propaganda points to try to distract us from the big story: that "regime change" and "building democracy" are unqualified disasters that are ending America's era of global supremacy.

[bush_cheney2004]

Nice to have an amusement park and a zoo, but these stories are just cheap propaganda points to try to distract us from the big story: that "regime change" and "building democracy" are unqualified disasters that are ending America's era of global supremacy.

Really? Americans haven't been in more places since WW2, and that turned out rather well. American hegemony is alive and kicking. On three...DOMINATE!

Remember when the bleeding hearts bitched about the museum looting and loss of antiquities? And that mangey lion in the Baghdad Zoo?

[DogOnPorch]

Really? Americans haven't been in more places since WW2, and that turned out rather well. American hegemony is alive and kicking. On three...DOMINATE!

Remember when the bleeding hearts bitched about the museum looting and loss of antiquities? And that mangey lion in the Baghdad Zoo?

Yup...look a Japan. Burnt to the ground. Almost nothing but a crispy shell remained. But today...as Homer Simpson said when he first viewed the dancing waters of a Japanese bidet..."They're YEARS ahead of us!"

Post WW2, the Japanese took the opportunity presented at full speed and went into plastics, electronics and economy cars & trucks. Once upon a time "Made in Japan" meant poor quality.

Iraq has the same chance.

(Thanks A.M.)

----------------------------------

Go tell the Spartans, thou who passest by,

That here, obedient to their laws, we lie...

---Simonides, circa 480 BC

[Guest American Woman]

So "the big story" is really about America, not what's happening in Iraq?

The news item about the military helping rebuild the zoo is just the flip side of the previous news items that lambasted the U.S. military for the destruction of the zoo. Why would the destruction be news but the rebuilding of it "just cheap propaganda?" Do you think it's fair to the military to report all the bad but none of the good? Do you think that's what makes for good reporting?

I agree with you that it's nice to have an amusement park and a zoo, and it was nice to read about the role the military played in rebuilding the zoo. Good for them. There are a lot of good soldiers out there doing a lot of good things. To say only the negative is newsworthy while the positive is "cheap propaganda" is totally biased.

(you're welcome, DoP)

[bush_cheney2004]

...The news item about the military helping rebuild the zoo is just the flip side of the previous news items that lambasted the U.S. military for the destruction of the zoo. Why would the destruction be news but the rebuilding of it "just cheap propaganda?" Do you think it's fair to the military to report all the bad but none of the good? Do you think that's what makes for good reporting?...

The practical matter is to put Iraq back together again, not to cheer every failure for fear that "NeoCon" policies might have merit. Most people didn't give a damn about bombed and starving Iraqis until George "NeoCon" Bush decided to continue the bombing and starvation, along with outright invasion.

[WIP]

Really? Americans haven't been in more places since WW2, and that turned out rather well. American hegemony is alive and kicking. On three...DOMINATE!

If you check the history books, you'll find that every successful empire doesn't know when to quit, or at least when to stop taking on foreign ventures! And they are the last ones to realize that their glory days are over. It's only been in recent years that France has started getting over their delusions of grandeur, and now the American Empire is on the brink of collapse, and the people who supported military overreach and out of control deficit spending, are the last ones to know!

Remember when the bleeding hearts bitched about the museum looting and loss of antiquities? And that mangey lion in the Baghdad Zoo?

Does this little bit of window-dressing make up for the estimated 100,000 Iraqi dead and more than a million refugees? I'm just thankful that oil has tripled in price since the war started! Now we finally have real incentives to move past the oil economy.

[bush_cheney2004]

If you check the history books, you'll find that every successful empire doesn't know when to quit, or at least when to stop taking on foreign ventures! And they are the last ones to realize that their glory days are over. It's only been in recent years that France has started getting over their delusions of grandeur, and now the American Empire is on the brink of collapse, and the people who supported military overreach and out of control deficit spending, are the last ones to know!

Oh come now....aren't you forgetting one teensie weensie empire that's a little closer to home? Either way, it is better to have been a superpower empire and lost, than never to have been one at all (with apologies to Sir William). A fallen USA would just be a larger version of a fallen Germany, Britain, or Japan. How does it feel to live in a fallen empire? Not so bad.....is it?

Does this little bit of window-dressing make up for the estimated 100,000 Iraqi dead and more than a million refugees? I'm just thankful that oil has tripled in price since the war started! Now we finally have real incentives to move past the oil economy.

Their were even more dead Iraqis before any invasion. Did you wish for high oil prices then?

[WIP]

Oh come now....aren't you forgetting one teensie weensie empire that's a little closer to home? Either way, it is better to have been a superpower empire and lost, than never to have been one at all (with apologies to Sir William). A fallen USA would just be a larger version of a fallen Germany, Britain, or Japan. How does it feel to live in a fallen empire? Not so bad.....is it?

I hope that's an attempt at sarcasm, because it's pretty twisted considering the dangerous situation our world is in now! The British Empire was eclipsed at a time when the American Empire was just beginning; and the fascist attempts by Germany and Japan to build empires through conquest had to be stopped by a U.S. and allied effort to save the world from global tyranny.

But this time, things could really get bad in the coming years. America is going to have no choice about scaling back its military, just as the Soviet Union had to back in 91, but there is no one in position to fill the role of trusted authority that the U.S. has enjoyed since WWII. Europe can't do it. China is spending billions to become a military power in Asia, but none of China's neighbours, like Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Taiwan etc., trust them or believe they will serve as an honest broker.

Before the U.S. suffers a total economic collapse, it could scale back the military to affordable levels, get out of Iraq and regain some international confidence lost by the go-it-alone strategies of the Bush Administration by agreeing to abide by Geneva Convention Rules and refraining from any future attempts at regime change that do not have international support.

Their were even more dead Iraqis before any invasion.

I'd like to see the numbers for that one! The mass exodus and ethnic cleansing of Baghdad and other Iraqi cities occured after the gift of democracy was given to them.

Did you wish for high oil prices then?

The oil is going to run out sooner or later! And I hope some sources such as Saudi Arabia, are running out now! That's the only thing that will put a stop to the problems of Islamic fanaticism.

Environmental devastation . I get a little weary of the continuous spam coming courtesy of oil company-sponsored global warming deniers! They can argue up and down about global temperature data charts, but the increase in CO2 levels can't be disputed: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/...61104084951.htm

Increasing CO2 levels in the atmosphere provides more carbon dioxide to be absorbed by the oceans, making them more acidic, while reducing the oxygen levels.

The climate systems are complex and poorly understood, but we do know that the last time ocean life was killed off on a large scale, it almost ended life on earth completely! http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/...50223130549.htm

[bush_cheney2004]

I hope that's an attempt at sarcasm, because it's pretty twisted considering the dangerous situation our world is in now! The British Empire was eclipsed at a time when the American Empire was just beginning; and the fascist attempts by Germany and Japan to build empires through conquest had to be stopped by a U.S. and allied effort to save the world from global tyranny.

Errr...I know...you are living in the remnants of that fallen empire. Is it a good thing or a bad thing?

But this time, things could really get bad in the coming years. America is going to have no choice about scaling back its military, just as the Soviet Union had to back in 91, but there is no one in position to fill the role of trusted authority that the U.S. has enjoyed since WWII. Europe can't do it. China is spending billions to become a military power in Asia, but none of China's neighbours, like Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Taiwan etc., trust them or believe they will serve as an honest broker.

The US could scale back military budgets and still dwarf the capabilities of any other nation on this planet. China can't even project power to Taiwan.

Before the U.S. suffers a total economic collapse, it could scale back the military to affordable levels, get out of Iraq and regain some international confidence lost by the go-it-alone strategies of the Bush Administration by agreeing to abide by Geneva Convention Rules and refraining from any future attempts at regime change that do not have international support.

See your analysis above....resulting in a US military presence in Korea, Japan, and Germany for over 50 years. No big deal to add Iraq to the frickin' list.

I'd like to see the numbers for that one! The mass exodus and ethnic cleansing of Baghdad and other Iraqi cities occured after the gift of democracy was given to them.

Oh sure....Baghdad, Basra, and Kirkuk were just paradise before March 2003. Find out what your own country was doing to Iraq.

The oil is going to run out sooner or later! And I hope some sources such as Saudi Arabia, are running out now! That's the only thing that will put a stop to the problems of Islamic fanaticism.

Oil will never run out...it will just become more expensive to recover.

Environmental devastation . I get a little weary of the continuous spam coming courtesy of oil company-sponsored global warming deniers! They can argue up and down about global temperature data charts, but the increase in CO2 levels can't be disputed: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/...61104084951.htm

Increasing CO2 levels in the atmosphere provides more carbon dioxide to be absorbed by the oceans, making them more acidic, while reducing the oxygen levels.

This doesn't bother me in the least. You'd be surprised how long you can live at reduced O2 partial pressures.

The climate systems are complex and poorly understood, but we do know that the last time ocean life was killed off on a large scale, it almost ended life on earth completely! http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/...50223130549.htm

And it will happen again....nothing we can do about it but worry....and I don't do that. Party on.

[Guest American Woman]

The practical matter is to put Iraq back together again, not to cheer every failure for fear that "NeoCon" policies might have merit. Most people didn't give a damn about bombed and starving Iraqis until George "NeoCon" Bush decided to continue the bombing and starvation, along with outright invasion.

I did not support the war against Iraq, but that doesn't mean I don't want to hear the whole story. If we hear about the failures, I think we need to hear about the good that's being done, too. In other words, I want to hear the whole story and I don't understand why everyone wouldn't feel that way. Seems to me "news" is pretty useless if it doesn't tell the whole story because we won't be informed without hearing all of it.

I really don't understand why demolishing the zoo would be news but rebuilding it wouln't be, why that would be "cheap propaganda;" and evidently WIP doesn't have an explanation either, since I got no response.

[WIP]

Errr...I know...you are living in the remnants of that fallen empire. Is it a good thing or a bad thing?

You should know by now you can't bait me with appeals to jingoism! I don't put on rose-coloured glasses to look at any country...........even my own!

The US could scale back military budgets and still dwarf the capabilities of any other nation on this planet. China can't even project power to Taiwan.

And you've totally missed the point! I didn't say China, Russia or any other country was going to step into the vacuum left when a collapsing U.S. economy forces the withdrawal from Iraq and base closings around the world! That in itself is the big problem! There is going to be a power vacuum, since although U.S. global power was resented for favouring U.S. economic and political interests, the up and coming powers are regarded as much worse by the rest of the world. That prospect could unleash a number of regional wars.

See your analysis above....resulting in a US military presence in Korea, Japan, and Germany for over 50 years. No big deal to add Iraq to the frickin' list.

Still living in denial, just like the French!

Oh sure....Baghdad, Basra, and Kirkuk were just paradise before March 2003. Find out what your own country was doing to Iraq.

If you're going to break the bank, deplete the military and destroy international prestige for the opportunity to make a regime change, you need some real successes to justify it......not revitalizing the zoo and building a new them park! The refugee crisis is even worse than I realized! There are two million who have fled the country and more than 2 million are displaced or internal refugees. No wonder Baghdad is quieter than it was a few years back! http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/mideast/RL33936.pdf

Oil will never run out...it will just become more expensive to recover.

The point the peak oil theorists have been trying to make is that cheap, recoverable oil is running out. Sure there will be oil available; but with more and more analysts troubled about the combination of growing demand and decreasing supplies, that oil is going to be much more expensive........and dirtier also! One of the unpleasant features of the tar sands developments that the Alberta crowd here doesn't like to talk about are the huge quantities of natural gas burned to recover this oil, and the toxic effects its having on land and ground water. If the Western shale deposits in your country are ever developed, you can expect much the same results!

This doesn't bother me in the least. You'd be surprised how long you can live at reduced O2 partial pressures.

And it will happen again....nothing we can do about it but worry....and I don't do that. Party on.

Well, the drop in oxygen levels at the end of the Permian Era was a main contributor to killing off 90% of the land animals. Deadly natural cycles have caused a number of mass extinctions in Earth's history, but this time, there are six and a half billion people creating conditions that have already got us started into a man-made mass extinction! I wonder if we'll be joining them:

Scientists say wildlife extinction rates are soaring. The die-off, they claim, threatens the planet's web of life or biodiversity which sustains farming, forestry and oceans. At a Paris meeting last week scientists called on world leaders to catalog and save species. One of the speakers was University of Minnesota ecology professor David Tilman. He's known around the world for his research showing the effects of human activity on the environment.

http://news.minnesota.publicradio.org/feat...d_biodiversity/

[bush_cheney2004]

You should know by now you can't bait me with appeals to jingoism! I don't put on rose-coloured glasses to look at any country...........even my own!

I will take that as a "good thing"....you're still living in Canada....no? Proof positive that there is life after the Empire falls. God save the Queen!

And you've totally missed the point! I didn't say China, Russia or any other country was going to step into the vacuum left when a collapsing U.S. economy forces the withdrawal from Iraq and base closings around the world! That in itself is the big problem! There is going to be a power vacuum, since although U.S. global power was resented for favouring U.S. economic and political interests, the up and coming powers are regarded as much worse by the rest of the world. That prospect could unleash a number of regional wars.

Still living in denial, just like the French!

Dude, the French can collapse anytime they want and it will hardly be noticed. Remember, they were in IndoChina before the Americans. The rest of the world can cope with the aftermath of their own impotence. Superpowers owe them nothing...regional wars are not uncommon no matter what the US does.

If you're going to break the bank, deplete the military and destroy international prestige for the opportunity to make a regime change, you need some real successes to justify it......not revitalizing the zoo and building a new them park! The refugee crisis is even worse than I realized! There are two million who have fled the country and more than 2 million are displaced or internal refugees. No wonder Baghdad is quieter than it was a few years back! http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/mideast/RL33936.pdf

If ten million Mexican (and Canadian) illegals can figure it out, so can Iraqi refugees. It will be fixed when they collectively decide to get it done. Europe took the Yankee money and rebuilt (Marshall Plan).

The point the peak oil theorists have been trying to make is that cheap, recoverable oil is running out. Sure there will be oil available; but with more and more analysts troubled about the combination of growing demand and decreasing supplies, that oil is going to be much more expensive........and dirtier also!

Yea.....that's what I said the first time. Doesn't matter until the cost outweighs the significant advantage of petroleum energy density. It's not rocket science.

Well, the drop in oxygen levels at the end of the Permian Era was a main contributor to killing off 90% of the land animals. Deadly natural cycles have caused a number of mass extinctions in Earth's history, but this time, there are six and a half billion people creating conditions that have already got us started into a man-made mass extinction! I wonder if we'll be joining them:

Extinctions are natural processes....the Earth doesn't care if we stay, lay, or pray.

[WIP]

Extinctions are natural processes....the Earth doesn't care if we stay, lay, or pray.

Well, maybe there is something we can agree on! The Earth may not care, but since the human race has evolved to a high enough level of knowledge and sophistication, we have an opportunity to prevent man-made disasters, and in the future it may even be possible to alter the Earth's climate cycles to prevent the next natural mass extinction. The dinosaurs had no choice about their fate at the end of the Cretaceous! But we have our fate in our own hands, if we can get past some of the negative aspects of human nature that we developed during our hunter/gatherer days.