Thread: Pentagon gives gloomy Iraq report
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Old 09-02-2006, 01:50 PM   #7 (permalink)
hevusa
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Quote:
Originally Posted by alias View Post
In Iraq, Singing for a Chance at Hope and Glory
TV Reality Shows Offer Rare 'Breath of Fresh Air'

By Sudarsan Raghavan
Washington Post Foreign Service
Friday, September 1, 2006; Page A01

BAGHDAD -- In the basement of the heavily guarded Babylon Hotel, on a low, black stage lit up like an operating room, contestant No. 65 was having a bad day. In the morning, Yasser Ibrahim, 22, had passed checkpoints and closed roads, armed soldiers and traffic jams, traveling two hours on a trip that normally takes 15 minutes.

When he arrived, he found dozens of young Iraqis, neatly dressed like him, lining up for a dream that has become ever so elusive in Iraq.

"Fame. I hope for fame," gushed Raghad Laith, 16, looking fabulous in a long, black dress, high-heeled shoes with dazzling rhinestones, red lipstick and green eye shadow. "This is a great chance to become a star."

If you thought Iraq was only a dire tableau of bloodshed and mayhem, take a closer look. Ibrahim, Laith and the others at the Babylon Hotel were auditioning for "Iraq Star," the country's version of "American Idol." It's one of a growing stream of made-in-Iraq reality television shows, produced under often-perilous conditions, that are being beamed across the Middle East.

More of this story here:

washingtonpost.com

It is great that people are enjoying singing, but how exactly does that discount the pentagon report and the reports we have been hearing from the media about sectarian tensions rising?

I'm sure there were bright spots in the Vietnam war as well. It doesn't mean that the war was going well or that we should have been there.
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There is little doubt that the world in general is more liberal than it was 50 years ago and beyond. Conservatives are simply roadblocks on the path to an ever more progressive and liberal world. What a sad existence.