On Sun, 27 Feb 2005 18:24:28 GMT, "Jim," wrote:

By Maureen Dowd, New York Times

It was remarkable to see President Bush lecture Vladimir Putin on the
importance of checks and balances in a democratic society.

Yup, he did a good job all right!

Surprised that Maureen, a noted Bush-hater, had something good to say about him.
Your selections are getting better, Jimcomma. Please keep it up.

I know you're concerned about the Iraqi infrastructure, so I dug this up just
for you. Now stop your snivelling and whining.
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Al Ameen sewage system removes health hazard, improve sanitation

By Alicia Embrey, Gulf Region Central District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

For the first time in history Al Ameen residents are able to walk through their
streets free of sewage and debris thanks to a new sewage system recently
installed by Iraqi contractors. BAGHDAD, Iraq-- Al Ameen District, east of
Baghdad, is a modest residential community with small mom and pop businesses.
Among the brick and rubble, scattered remnants of the homes that stood there are
still visible. As the reconstruction effort drives forward the free Iraqis in
this area reach out for basic necessities. Clean water to drink, 24-hour
electricity to heat, cool, cook with and light their homes; and just as
important a sewage system to prevent the stench and health hazards threatening
their families.

Today the $2.7 million sewage and wastewater project at Al Ameen stands as a
shining example to the rest of Iraq. The new system replaces open slit trenches,
malfunctioning lagoons, alleviates general pooling in the neighborhoods and
provides an operable sanitary sewage system to transport sanitary wastes from
the neighborhood.

Focus for Iraqi Contractors, the 20th Engineer Battalion, and the Corps of
Engineers now turn to the unpaved streets. Even under the former regime, it was
not uncommon to see standing water in the streets, even on the hottest, driest
days. “They have never had a proper sewage system or paved streets,” Travis
Lynch, a Corps project engineer explained.

The roads, where children play, soaked with raw sewage, sewage sludge, and storm
water trenches that twist through the communities like Kamaliya are now a fading
memory for the residents of Al Ameen.

“During my first visit to the area, I was surprised at the dilapidated
conditions that the people of Al Ameen live in,” Lynch said. “There is now
marked improvement in the area. The road waysAl Ameen resident places curbstone
and grout in preparation for the placing of asphalt. Asphalt streets are
necessary to protect the newly placed sewage lines from damage caused by
traffic. are clearly defined with the installation of curbs, and the sewer lines
have eliminated the pooling sewer water on the street. Curb lined streets nearly
ready for asphalt has replaced sewage flooded dirt roads.”

With the system now in place it’s important to pave the roads and protect the
sewage lines. “The existing dirt roads were in bad shape and in need of repair.
“The Iraqi contractor has cleaned the trash and sewage from roads, removed
damage pavement material and curb, and replaced them with suitable sub-grade and
base-coarse. The contractor will soon begin placing new pavement,” said Mike
Mitchell, project engineer.

The pavement not only acts as a good driving surface, it provides protection to
the lines from the adverse affects of weather, vehicle traffic and erosion. “The
curb acts as a limit to the roadway width keeping traffic within its
boundaries,” Mitchell said. “It also acts as a storm water collection system
funneling rainwater into collection points which then feed into the sewer system
and out of the streets.”

Thanks to the new sewage system and cleanup effort performed by Al Ameen
citizens, pending health issues are also fading.

“Diseases stemming from sewage collecting in inhabited areas are responsible for
a large percentage of death and birth defects in the population. Mosquitoes also
breed in these ponds and act as carriers of disease. Without the sewage system
project, the spread of disease could have reached epidemic proportions,”
Mitchell said.

“The 20th Engineer Battalion worked extensively with USACE, the Iraqi Government
and local residents in making this project a successful reality,” Mitchell
added.
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Nice news, huh?

John H

On the 'PocoLoco' out of Deale, MD,
on the beautiful Chesapeake Bay!

"Divide each difficulty into as many parts as is feasible and necessary to resolve it."
Rene Descartes