Slaydadea

Thanks for pointing this out Wings. At least it confirms it's on his mind, or at least was. News to me!

Back when Reagan asked us to tighten our belts, we did and it worked. It's been going on so long now, it's getting a little hard to breath. Cut back on cable, cut back on utilities a bit, don't drive as much, eating a little more hamburger these days, all for the luxury's of internet and beer! My budget plan.

Ditto!!!! Now were paying for it in a big way! Near the brink of destruction.

I think it's a translation thing. Kinda like "watermellon", still haven't figured that one out.

With a decent re-value in the IQD, the people would be financially independent rather than social welfare dependent. Iv'e browsed a few of their job postings and it caters to about 30 percent of the population. Smee2 gave a very good description of the social classes system in Iraq. Thanks for the post. Smee2 link"

Grabbed a couple bookmarks from your post. Thanks a bunch!

Nice read. Great thread! Thanks.

Thanks b!

Not sure how this one happened. Please delete. Thank you.

Reduced Iraq Agricultural Output in 2011 Posted on 20 February 2011. Tags: Ronald P Verdonk By Ronald P Verdonk, Agricultural Counselor at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad. Looking at Iraqi agriculture over the past year, relatively abundant rainfall in late 2009 and through the first quarter of 2010 led to bumper 2010 wheat and barley crops. With last year’s domestic wheat harvest at just over 2.5 million metric tons and barley at about 1 million metric tons, these production levels doubled when compared to either the 2008 or 2009 drought-reduced crops. Searching for space to store its 2010 wheat crop, Iraqi Ministry of Trade tendering for imported wheat dropped off through much of the latter half of the last year. Now, in keeping with regional attempts to make sure staples are in adequate supply, the Ministry of Trade has stepped up tendering for the products that make up its Public Distribution System: Wheat (flour), rice, sugar and vegetable oil. Of course, like all buyers in the international market and in view of escalating prices since July 2010, Iraq has to pay more to meet its needs. On average, Iraq is typically dependent on wheat imports to meet 60-70% of demand and relies on imported rice to meet about 90% of its needs. And speaking of rice, at a little more than 150,000 metric tons in rough rice production, Iraq’s 2010 harvest is estimated to have grown at least 10% versus 2009 output. Prospects for 2011 currently suggest a slight reduction in output of wheat and barley in 2011, especially in view of the paucity of rainfall during the wheat/barley planting season, October-December. Moreover, poor quality seed and insufficient fertilizer will continue to limit growth in yields that would otherwise occur. Ronald P Verdonk is an Agricultural Counselor at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad. He has extensive experience in the agriculture sector, including placements in a wide range of developing economies. See K98knight Post: Above is supporting post.

New Report on Investment in Iraq Posted on 21 February 2011. Tags: Dunia Frontier Consultants, reports Dunia Frontier Consultants have issued a new report entitled Foreign Commercial Activity in Iraq – 2010 Year in Review. According to their research, the total number of reported investments, service contracts, and other commercial activities by foreign firms more than doubled in 2010. The report includes a listing of the 30 biggest foreign investment deals in the country over the past year, analysis by region and sector, and details of the main investor countries. Please click here to download a copy.

Higher tariffs on hold Posted on 21 February 2011. Tags: Al Hilal Industries, Electricity, Import tariffs On February 14, the National Iraqi News Agency reported that the import tariff increases originally scheduled to go into effect on March 6 are being suspended until further notice. (The story is at http://www.ninanews.com/english/News_Details.asp?ar95_VQ=FFHEEK.) This is not surprising. With protestors already in the streets in some places, now can hardly be the best time to introduce new taxes on consumers. In my last post, I argued that a case might conceivably be made for some of the new tariffs if they offset distortions elsewhere in the economy. Even if this were true, however, ordinary Iraqis would be unlikely to see things this way. All they would see is higher prices for food and appliances. And they would suspect, probably correctly, that officials were profiting from the situation by taking bribes from importers. The government’s argument that the new tariffs are necessary to protect Iraqi industry would also be likely to fall on deaf ears. Consider the proposed tariff on window-type air conditioners (harmonized code number 84.15.10.20), for example. In the Arabic version of the schedule, this is given as 20%; the English version has 50%. (These schedules are available at: http://www.iraq-businessnews.com/2011/02/14/new-iraqi-import-tariffs-the-full-list/.) An obvious beneficiary would be a company like Al Hilal Industries (ISX ticker IHLI), whose main product is evaporative coolers. Unlike most air conditioners, which use compressed refrigerants, an evaporative cooler is water based. The only moving part is a fan, which draws the outside air through wet pads to lower its temperature. (See the illustration, by Nevit Dilmen, downloaded from Wikimedia Commons.) On one of Baghdad’s 110 degree summer days, I think I’d prefer a real air conditioner. But faced with higher prices for imports, some consumers would be forced to buy one of IHLI’s products instead. Eventually, perhaps, the tariff might make it possible for the company to develop a viable air conditioner business. But in the meantime, their customers—presumably already unhappy about electricity shortages—would find that even when the power was on they were still pretty hot. If the government’s plan is to wait until the public is ready to accept situations like this before introducing the new tariffs, they may be on hold for quite a while.

UK Construction Industry Looks to Iraq Posted on 21 February 2011. Tags: Populous, Rider Levett Bucknall, RLB, Salford, University of Salford The Financial Times reports that Iraq is an increasingly popular destination for British construction firms, with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) forecasting a rise in GDP of 6.75 per cent during 2011. A project manager at one construction company bidding for work in Baghdad, says: “For the very bravehearted among us there is a huge opportunity there, but the totality of destruction in parts of the country makes planning any rebuild far from straightforward.” The University of Salford is setting up a built environment research centre in Basra to establish building and civil engineering practices tailored to the country’s needs. Professor Mustafa Alshawi, the Associate Dean at Salford’s College of Science & Technology, says: “Iraq has some very specific needs in its built environment sector, and there are some areas where it lacks expertise and a critical mass. By opening this new centre we will be able to train more researchers and provide staff and students with new skills and ways of working.” “Iraq is certainly one of the next big places for the industry,” says John Barrow, a senior principal at Populous, the UK practice behind Wembley, the O2 Arena and Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium. Populous is in advanced bidding talks to secure the design contract for a 100,000-seater stadium in central Baghdad and is eyeing work on five other stadiums across the country. Rider Levett Bucknall, a UK construction consultancy, has been in talks with former military personnel about providing security assistance for projects in the region. “Part of the job of project management is going to be the provision of security on developments,” says Lance Taylor, chief executive of RLB. “There is a real risk in doing work there and if you are going to manage construction projects you need to man up and make sure the security is tight.” (Source: Financial Times)

I made it through the first 45 seconds. Thanks Qman.

Funny, Funny! Where you been?

I've been seeing similar reports, I think he means it!

Thanks Brisco, Mr. Wolin is confirming a lot of sketchy reports I've been seeing. Still trying to put it all together. I keep reading, there's a meeting here, there's a meeting there and not much info on what there meeting about or any solid objectives. This helps, another puzzle piece. Thanks.

He finally got him! Life goes on.

http://www.newsnow.co.uk/A/477223245?-1377

German Investment in Ninawa Posted on 20 February 2011. Tags: Backmana, germany, Ninawa, Nineveh, Ninewa, tourism, Zalmania Nineveh Investment Commission announced this week that it had signed investment contracts with two German companies to build tourist facilities on the banks of the Tigris River. Jabor Abed Rabu, Chairman of the Commission, told AKnews that the companies involved are Zalmania andBackmana, but the value of the contracts were not disclosed. “The two companies will build tourist facilities next July,” said Rabu, adding that “Nineveh Council will provide all facilities and support necessary requirements to facilitate the work of these companies and complete the project.” “The Council also received delegations from other German companies to discuss other opportunities to invest in the city.” Mosul, 405 km north of Baghdad, has many monuments, and religious sites, as well as forests, but they are neglected and suffer from lack of services. (Source: AKnews)

$86m Infrastructure Projects in Karbala Posted on 20 February 2011. Tags: Karbala, Kerbala An al-Iraqiya deputy said on Wednesday that MPs from Karbala proposed two infrastructure projects worth a total of $86 million [100 billion Iraqi dinars] during the 33rd parliamentary session. Abdul Mahdi al-Khafaji told AKnews that the deputies proposed the reconstruction of two roads and the entrances to the holy city of Karbala which receives millions of visitors each year. “The project is important to maintain the security of visitors because the current roads are inadequate and experience congestion during the major religious occasions,” he said. Karbala, 100km south of Baghdad, contains the shrine of Imam Hussein (pictured), the third Shia Imam and a key figure in Shiite history. Millions of pilgrims flock to the city during religious ceremonies marking the anniversary of this death and the fortieth day following his martyrdom in the 7th century AD. Often a target for Sunni insurgents, bomb attacks during the mass gathering of Shia pilgrims this year left dozens dead and hundreds more injured. (Source: AKnews)

http://www.newsnow.co.uk/A/477209386?-1377

http://www.newsnow.co.uk/A/477213950?-1377

http://www.newsnow.co.uk/A/477214285?-1377

Great job BanG! A real "picker upper" for me. It would be great for a lot of folks if that rate held up.