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Grapes of Wrath - 21st Century Style

Well, it's the final countdown. In less than 96 hours the family and I will bid goodbye to our middle-America life here in Ohio and begin our journey to southern California. Like the Joads in "The Grapes of Wrath", we hope to find a brighter future and more opportunity in the golden state - specifically in the San Diego area. We aren't exactly leaving behind the Depression era dust-bowl existence the leading family in Steinbeck's masterpiece escaped from, but the economic atmosphere in southern Ohio isn't exactly conducive to those looking to prosper in these tough times. I also get the notion that Fadi and I are perhaps simply nomadic by nature. Considering I haven't lived in my native Florida since "escaping" at age 17 in 2000, and Fadi has been displaced from his native continent for six years now, moving and starting over in a foreign land is nothing new to either of us. We do feel a little guilty about uprooting our six-year-old daughter -...
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Uday Hussein's Swimming Pool

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Swimming pool at Odai Hussein's former palace, Summer 2005 When American and Coalition forces plowed through Baghdad in early 2003, they left a significant path of destruction in their wake. The majority of the damage pinpointed military bases and bunkers, government buildings, and other points of tactical interest, as well as symbols of Ba’athist power and audacity such as ornate regime palaces and luxurious riverside mansions. A notable target of this architectural cleansing was Odai Hussein’s Baghdad palace where he harbored his pet lions. The lions were eventually transferred to the Baghdad Zoo and the palace, which was heavily damaged in the initial bombardment of Baghdad , was later leveled to the ground by a construction crew. Due to its close proximity to the U.S. Embassy (within walking distance) the palace grounds were transformed into a campground/living area for embassy employees and other U.S. civilian contractors operating in Baghdad . One feature of the...
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I Finally Read the Jessica Lynch Book

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Well it only took me nearly ten years to get around to it, but I finally read the book recounting the infamous story of 2003 Iraq War P.O.W. Jessica Lynch. I had some free time on my hands last week, thanks to end-of-year state school testing that led to my being pretty much locked in a room with middle schoolers for two days straight while they did their best to prove to the state that they can read, write, and conduct math calculations at a level suitable to warrant extra funding for their school district, err... I mean, advance to the next grade level. Don't get me started. Ok, back to the book. It was easy, fast reading (my favorite kind) and obvioulsy an engaging story as I completed the book in a matter of hours. Like most Americans, I am intimately familir with the Jessica Lynch ordeal, and was one of the millions glued to the t.v. in 2003 when she was taken captive and held for nine days before being snatched from an Iraqi hospital by U.S. Special Forces. It was es...
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