She Sells Sea Shells

This area of southern Iraq was marshland until the 1990's when Saddam started a campaign of draining the marshes. This was reportedly to increase dry-land agriculture, but has since become known for what it was, attempted genocide of the Marsh Arabs who lived there. I find shells at many job sites where the silty soil has been turned over.

Here's a link with more information about the Marsh Arabs http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/3011447.stm

Received my new tires from Nashbar in the mail yesterday and took the bike out for a ride in the mud this evening. The mud was just the right consistency to get caught up in the forks and brakes, stopping me completely until I scooped it all out with my fingers... what a mess. Found my way out to the irrigation pond and saw two black winged stilts and what I think were sociable plovers that look like giant killdeer. A woodpecker of some sort blew by quickly and was gone, about the size of a flicker.

Spent most of today writing up police station assessments and drawing building layouts for upcoming contracts.