Dirt Roads to City Streets

A blog in search of an identity and a focus.

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Location: Canada

Wednesday, March 30, 2005

Unhappy Anniversary

Better than my own words could ever express...

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Unhappy Anniversary (We told you so.) Borrowed from Think Progress:

The Invasion Two Years Later

  • 200: Lowest estimated number in billions of U.S. taxpayers' dollars that have been spent on the war in Iraq
  • 152,000: Estimated number of troops currently deployed in Iraq
  • 1,511: U.S. troops killed in Iraq since the invasion
  • 11,285: Americans wounded since the invasion was launched two years ago
  • 21,100-39,300: Estimated number of Iraqi civilians killed since the invasion by violence from war and crime
  • 176: Non-U.S. coalition troops killed in Iraq since the invasion
  • 339: Coalition troops killed by Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs)
  • 70: Daily average number of insurgent attacks on coalition forces in February 2005
  • 14: Daily average number of insurgent attacks on coalition forces in February 2004
  • 18,000: Estimated number of insurgents in Iraq today
  • 5,000: Estimated number of insurgents in Iraq in June 2003
  • 27/14: Countries remaining in the "coalition of the willing" versus number of former coalition members that have withdrawn all their forces or announced their intention to do so
  • 25,000: Non-U.S. coalition troops still in Iraq
  • 4,500: Troops that Italy and the Netherlands have pledged to withdraw before the end of the year
  • 142,472: Iraqi security troops the Pentagon says it has trained and equipped
  • 40,000: Iraqi troops that General Richard Myers, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said are adequately trained and equipped to handle most threats
  • 0: Number of active Army combat units deployed to Iraq that have received the required year-long break from active duty required by Pentagon rules
  • 30: Percent by which the U.S. National Guard missed its recruitment targets in November and `December 2004
  • 27: Percent by which the U.S. Army missed its recruitment goals in the past month
  • 15: Percent of military personnel, according to GAO, who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan, who could develop Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
  • 2: Estimated output of Iraqi oil industry in millions of barrels per day
  • 2.8: Estimated output of Iraqi oil industry in millions of barrels per day before the U.S. invasion
  • 8: Average number of hours that Iraqis have electricity per day
  • 28-40: Estimated Iraqi unemployment rate
  • 108: Millions of dollars in Halliburton overcharges hidden from international auditors by the Pentagon
  • 9: Billions of dollars the Coalition Provisional Authority cannot account for of all funds dispensed for Iraq reconstruction

Part of the problem with this war is that like Johnson and McNamara, these people cannot be believed about anything and their lying endangers all of us. (And what is the MSM response? “Thank you sir, may I have another.")

Monday, March 14, 2005

I feel a chill up and down my spine...

Fun with phobias:

Beards - pogonophobia
Fall of satellites - keraunothnetophobia
Blushing - ereuthophobia
Novelty - cainolophobia
The skins of animals - doraphobia
Gravity - barophobia
brought to you by the kind folks at Schott's Original Miscellany.

Saturday, March 12, 2005

Strange dreams, indeed....most peculiar, mama...

So, I had this very weird dream, which isn't unusual, but I actually woke myself up at various points during the night to remind myself of the sequence, and to blog it because my sister would be most amused by it. So, here goes:

It's a multi-part dream, and I know I'm coming in somewhere before it starts, but there was a sequence where Elspeth, my VP, was there, and we (along with a lot of other people) ended up at an impromptu concert put on by Prince. While we were there, the concert was invaded by the Mole People (for the record, they looked kind of like the mutants in Tank Girl...I'm pretty sure I saw Ice-T there). Anyway, it turned out that Prince had the ability to repel the mole people, so a bunch of us took off after them. There was an old guy, and a few young people with me (not that it really matters), and we were driving along this elevated highway, and we discovered that the Mole People had removed entire sections of the highway. Of course, we narrowly avoided disaster by falling into a missing section. Whew!

While investigating to find a way around the hole in the road, we discovered a cave/burrow. Naturally, we followed it and ended up in the land of the Mole People. More hijinks ensued, none of which are terribly clear to me, until the part where I ended up owning two pet rats. Real rats, not ferrets like Ratsy-Tatsy Bernie. So, now I own these two rats and of course everyone is expressing their rat-prejudice, including Jean and Dwight, because now we're down on the farm and they've spotted my rat-babies and are trying to do away with them. I'm naturally indignant, and demonstrate how tame they are--except for occasionally biting people, they are the perfect pet. Then, I break Dwight's ladder and have to pay him for a new one.

Suddenly, Gordie calls me (at some point during the call, he actually materializes...keep that in mind) on the truck phone. He tells me that Gramma is homeless and it's all my fault. Because of my generosity, someone at the Lodge told Gramma that she really shouldn't qualify for any government assistance (or should qualify for more...that part was a little fuzzy), and she should stop paying for her room, and send them a letter demanding a refund. So, they are kicking her out and it's all my fault.

This is the part where he suddenly materializes. I actually woke myself up enumerating all the reasons why he should be able to resolve this matter (joint bank account means he can control withdrawals, speaking to the Lodge, etc.). I was quite indignant and upset that he would blame me for any of this--just because I made a donation to the Handi-Bus Society.

I'm just remembering that there was a whole earlier piece where I had roommates who were annoying me while we went to university (I've been going through this dream phase where I keep writing myself into The Gilmore Girls...most bizarre). One of those roommates could have been with me at the Prince concert.

Anyway, it was truly odd, and as I kept repeating the sequence to myself (Gramma-Rats-Prince), I'd keep re-writing the 'ending'. Maybe I won the lottery, and... Maybe I bought this big house and Gramma and the rats... It was all I could do when I sat down here to separate the various versions into what I think was the true and original one.

Any thoughts on what this all means? Beyond the obvi0us--that I require years of therapy?

Tuesday, March 08, 2005

Old friends....

Okay, so it's been awhile since I've blogged...mea culpa.

Watched a PBS 'blokes of Britcom' show last night, and as I was watching it, I kept trying to figure out what about the show was different than the best-of/where-are-they-now types of shows one usually sees. Then it hit me: these people were old! I mean, old the way real people are, not the way Hollywood types are old. Try to imagine Clint Eastwood with wattles and and jowls and specs (not pecs). Every one of these people was wrinkly and a bit tubby and had mile-thick glasses (they all looked sort of like Micky Rooney, come to think of it!). It was a bit disconcerting to realize that I'd forgotten how old people look on the screen - when they look old and real, as opposed to expertly made-up, toned and tanned.

Speaking of old friends...just found out that an old friend from DeVry (Gord) is back in hospital with a terrible prognosis. The cancer is back, and it's only a matter of time. Sigh... Gord's always been a good human, and he'd beaten it back a number of times, but now it's got his number. If you're reading this and want to visit, contact me and I'll pass along his info.

What else is going on? Well, just back from an organizing committee meeting for the Etzikom School Reunion, and saw some old faces and friends. Strange to be working with the people who were your teachers, and parents (or grandparents) of your friends. Makes you feel very old and very young all over again. Both of my sisters are involved in the event (even though the school closed before Kelly could attend), and that gave the old fogies a chance to mix us up, and call us 'the girls'. There was a time when that bothered me, but as the years go by, being called a girl is starting to sound better. Another decade, and I'll be downright chuffed every time I hear it.

I hadn't really intended to expound upon a theme, although it worked out quite nicely. Have a good day, and call an old friend...