Iraq's Smallest Tycoon

Rather than manipulating barrels of oil and oil prices like an adult, this boy in Afeq Iraq works the water bottle system every time we visit his station. The men in non-issue clothing are contractors that we escort to provide training to the IPs.

Thrice now, before we have even finished parking this boy, I'll call him Rupert, begins asking for a bottle. He goes from truck to truck asking with hand signals and Arabic bouncing around with unfailing enthusiasm till he succeeds. I think it's hilarious. Even if the gunner screams, or the elder Arab men tell him to go home, Rupert just keeps smiling and trying different windows and different trucks. After a while it does get a little annoying.


But here's the tycoon part. Once he gets a bottle, he trys to sell it back to us! Rupert holds it up and rubs a thumb on his index and middle finger with the bill-to-be in between, and makes a face. He'll ask for candy or, "give me anything!" He can hold out as long as we're there, even for hours. I got a little bit of video too and it looks a lot like he's dancing. When it's time to go Rupert just waves, usually settling for a candy bar or gatorade.

Back to Afeq

Keeping us on our toes as much as those who may wish to do harm, the lottery of squads, times, and destinations took us on a trip back out to Afeq again today.

If not your hand, then it's the beans you fed Eeore for breakfast.


Risque dressed woman, turning heads.


Wind


Slipknot? Yes I know it's a heavy metal band, but on a golf shirt? On a kid in Afeq Iraq?


Workers


Traffic Police


One of those guys in a picture Bible.

Hayat ad-Dunya

Spent a couple hours playing around with a single image, tweaking it and playing around. Hayat ad-Dunya means "life in this world." I couldn't think of a title, so I flipped through The Arab Mind for something appropriate.

Sumar

IPs

Mosque in The Distance.

More Camels

More Road

Another Billboard (with IPs dancing to saxophone music?)

Idiot's Guide to Islam: Women

Today I seemed to come back with a lot of pictures of women. I have questions still, but I got a hold of my CHUmate's "Idiots Guide to Understanding Islam." As I skimmed through I found a couple interesting things to note. As well I felt there was a promotional tone in the writing as I got the sense that the author was an authority from within Islam. Indeed the book, with the orange trim cover like other Idiot's Guide books, is written by Yahiya Emerick an American professor who has converted to Islam.

I did get a few trivia nuggets: A Harem actually means the part of the house "where women can be assured of privacy." Arranged marriages are not required by Islam, rather it's a cultural tradition that exists in many Muslim and non-Muslim countries.

According to Emerick, female circumcision, which occurs for the most part in regions of Africa is a "pre-Islamic cultural relic that Christians Muslims and animists engage in equally."

As well the perception that women have half the worth of men comes from a verse in the Quran that says a woman should conduct no business with a man without a second woman present to function as a witness so that she (woman 2) "can remind (woman 1) details in a court situation." That's what it says.

Wife Abuse: The more I read, the more I detect proselytising intent and bias. The author contends that spouse abuse against females is a world-wide issue and not just a problem in Islam. That is certainly the case. Then he gives a quote from the Quran that says to "slap" your wife when she misbehaves. Then in his own words says this is just misunderstood scripture since women are good 99 percent of the time. Yikes.

In conclusion, I think this book sucks. The author, if he has a point to make, fails terribly. Perhaps it truly is an Idiot's guide.

In any case, my pictures are from a rainy day trip 30 minutes out and 30 back. What you see is not uncommon at all here in central-south-east Iraq.

Children of the Taliban

An April Montage

Sunrise at the trucks.

Iraqi Army Guard Post

Ped Xing

Garbage Disposal

Big Wheel

Shop till you drop.

The Hand That Bites

Arriving in town at a station like normal. Only the day and hour change. To be a quick "in and out" that took much longer this time. The kids congregated and began again something of a routine that I've noticed. Asking for a ball, or water, and posing with faces when they see my camera.
They were a bit on the rough side today, to say the least. Fighting till torn shirts and tears over a single blueberry muffin thrown like a bone to a pack of dogs, and the soldier laughed as they scurried. It rolled through the dirt after the package gave and it became a spoiled token of the gap between worlds.




At high noon the prayers sounded, and the kids left our trucks as the gunners yelled "Imshe!" Not sure if it was the command to go, or the hour, but they went off to stand on a near-by corner. When they get too wound up I try to take pictures without them seeing the camera, or not at all. The mob that forms gets quickly out of hand and the gunner gets aggravated and that's something nobody wants.

I tried to hand out water bottles from the back of a truck at a station one time and they got very aggressive and ruthless toward each other. I was getting one for myself and another soldier, so I figured it wouldn't hurt to hand a few out. The quick crowd of children started grabbing, pushing and shoving. This deflated the "feel good" that I expected to earn from my good deed as it also made clear the reality of desperation for basic needs. They taught me a lesson.

But soon enough a rock banged off the truck and everyone 360 was watching to see what would happen next. First the bigger kids threw rocks, then the smaller ones. Then other big kids hitting small ones for throwing rocks. This usually doesn't happen till we're leaving, and only a single rock or two.



Finally the driver in the truck closest to the rock throwers loses his temper, revs up, drives forward to bluff an advance. From there he got stuck in the mud for a couple minutes, shifting forward and back with wheels spinning. This was much to the delight of the kids who semi-successfully stuck it to the man in a small battle won.

But what's really going on? What's the battle? The joke muffin, although forgotten by the time the rocks began to fly, was the spark. As well the absurdity of an heavily armored truck with a .50 machine gun on top responding in any way to a thrown rock was just asking for more trouble, not stopping it. But I'm just a fly on the wall, with a camera.


During all the nonsense this ghetto chariot came roaring down the street and it's really the best shot of the day. Included here to end on a lighter note.

After the Rain

Last week we had roller coaster weather. April showers traded hour to hour with a warm spring sun. Compared to the week prior where I had a huge number of shots, it seemed that I didn't get many good pictures. The dark skies and dirty windows made it difficult but I took a second look through this morning. When it rains, the dirt quickly turns into a thick sticky mud that builds beneath your boots and you grow a couple inches.

One good thing about the rain, it keeps the dust down, but by the time it stops, we're so covered in mud it doesn't matter.

This very same fertile crescent mud is what has been utilized throughout time to build structures, only now complete with satellite dishes piping in Prayers With The Imam, or Arab MTV advertising "Pimp My Crib" or whatever. It becomes clear at times why most Islamic elders abhor western culture.

I've noticed that elder siblings have more of a parenting type role in this part of the world. This colorful girl negotiates busy streets with her brothers.

I really like this picture. This abandoned gas station in Diwaniya is closed off with walls and wire. The older Arab man pictured was strolling through alone as if it was or will be his.

This is a convenient store in Iraq, more of a kiosk really. Seems he was waiting to see if the good weather was going to hold before opening for business.

Certain things remind me of my picture Bible as a child. Shepherds with their sheep, the clothing, and in this case I can picture Moses, put in a wicker basket, and put in the storm swollen waters.

Camel Crossing

A slice of life. Carpet sales, and a garage, shop by shop.