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U.S. general frustrated by the pace of progress in Iraq
BAGHDAD, Iraq – The day after the U.S. military declared its Iraq surge at full strength, the No. 2 commander in Iraq appeared frustrated as he was briefed on progress in the restive neighborhood of Dora, an al-Qaida stronghold in west Baghdad.
“I guess I thought we’d make a little more progress,” Lt. Gen. Raymond Odierno said at a combat outpost in the Dora market.
Odierno said he considered Friday the first day of President Bush’s Iraq surge, with the last of 28,500 additional troops declared in place. Some of those added troops already were beginning operations in violence-prone areas, including restive Arab Jubour south of the capital, where Odierno said “we’ve never had a presence.”
Indeed, throughout the country, muted violence flashed even against the backdrop of curfews that kept most Iraqis
housebound.
The clampdown followed the bombing of a revered Shiite shrine in Samarra but failed to prevent the second bombing in as many days on Sunni mosques in the southern port city of Basra.
Ordinarily, nearly 250 stores are in Dora. But the market was dead because of a government curfew on vehicles. After being told the market is typically bustling, Odierno looked at the rows of empty street vendors’ shops and shuttered stores and declared it “depressing.”
“The issue is not the money as much as it is the speed,” the general said at a combat outpost in Dora market. “There are pockets of progress,” he said but added that 30 percent of the city needed a lot more work, areas with a “Sunni/Shiite fault line.”
At a noon briefing, Odierno told company and unit commanders to stick to the mission.
“Sometimes I know it’s hard for you all to see it,” he said. “But I do see us moving forward.”
As he boarded the helicopter after his afternoon trip he said that Washington politicians need to give the effort more time.
“We need more time, they’ve got to give us time here,” he said.
“It’s just too early.”
National
Virginia orientation guides approach mass shooting scene with a delicate touch
BLACKSBURG, Va. – The first mention of Virginia Tech’s tragic day came 36 minutes into the tour.
Brittany Jones, a Virginia Tech senior who was guiding prospective students around campus, didn’t mention it when passing Norris Hall, where most of the deaths occurred in the April shooting rampage.
She didn’t address it when talking about engineering, the building’s main function. She stayed away from it when apologizing for the many campus construction projects, which this week included a backhoe breaking ground for a memorial to the 32 students and professors killed by the 23-year-old gunman.
But when she pointed out one of the emergency call boxes dotting the campus, she said, “I don’t personally like to talk about it, because I think it could happen anywhere. I still feel perfectly safe here. And that’s all I want to say about that.”
Heading into one of their peak months for campus visits, this is how it will be for many of the 190 “Hokie Ambassadors,” Virginia Tech’s volunteer student tour guides.
“I don’t think my school, my home, should have such a label on it,” Jones said after her tour earlier this week. “It’s not fair. We have to pick up the pieces.”
Virginia Tech offers three tours on most days that classes are in session. University officials say the tours have never been scripted, and guides say that administrators haven’t dictated how they should handle the tragedy with prospective students and their families.
Student guide leaders on their own suggested altering tour routes so they wouldn’t pass directly in front of Norris, where student Seung-Hui Cho killed 30 people and then himself.
Most tour guides now choose to walk on a parallel sidewalk about 100 yards away.
Safety was a hot topic for parents even before April 16, said Adam Schmid, a May graduate. He said he was surprised there weren’t more questions concerning the shootings.
“I don’t know if people maybe think it’s a touchy subject,” he said.
The two families who made up Jones’ tour group this week didn’t ask about it before their guide spoke up. They said afterward that they saw the shootings as a random act, and didn’t feel Virginia Tech students were more vulnerable than others.
“I would’ve asked about safety,” Gail Fowler said. “Because at every other college tour I’ve asked about it.”
“She’s a mom,” her son, Scott, said.
“It could’ve happened anywhere,” said David Keegan, the other prospective student on the tour. “It’s not going to happen again.”
Local/BSU
Firm plans ice rink for Nampa residents to enjoy
NAMPA — A development group wants to place an outdoor ice rink and themed restaurant at the corner of First Street South and 13th Avenue South in the city’s historic Belle District.
“The ice rink and restaurant to open mid-October will transform a vacant dirt lot in the heart of historic downtown Nampa into a family entertainment center unlike anything in the Treasure Valley,” Laurel MacKinnon, of the MacKinnon Group, said in a prepared statement. Construction will begin early in July, she said.
Developers say the 70-foot-by-130-foot rink, adorned with twinkling lights and decorative rod fencing will supply 9,100 square feet of ice for skating from mid-October through mid-March.
Special holiday and community events that cater to all ages such as broom ball and Santa on Ice are planned, along with weekly figure-skating classes and a youth ice hockey program.
MacKinnon said special ticket prices will present fundraising opportunities for corporations, churches, civic clubs and schools.
From April through September, the rink will convert into a large courtyard for community gatherings such as movies under the stars, outdoor markets and other events. The courtyard and restaurant will also be designed to accommodate private events.
According to the firm’s plans, a 4,000-square-foot building next to the rink will house the themed restaurant, mezzanine and a special room for parties and meetings.
MacKinnon said the Nampa Ice Factory and the restaurant fulfill her group’s goal of renewing the historic heart of Nampa “by bringing goods and services closer to residents that will enhance their quality of life and contribute toward a sustainable community.”
Courtesy Idaho Press-Tribune
What the ?
Now, this is embarrassing
Just as the Police Department in Oslo, Norway, announced a campaign warning people to beware of pickpockets, the chief of police’s wallet was taken by a pickpocket.
Pardonnez moi, I just need one more thing please
A man broke into a house in Mussidan, France, and stole a television set. While the owner was reporting it to police, the burglar came back for the remote control.
