Going Two Wheels In Iraq

We all have our opinion of the war in Iraq, but as the Guardian and other media outlets have been reporting, lately people have been getting back to their daily routines thanks to a decline in violence in Baghdad. This is undoubtedly good news for people and planet alike – I for one have always wished the best for the soldiers and Iraqi citizens alike, but a side effect of the return of boon times has been the traffic jam’s and the spike in automobile related accidents in central Baghdad.

According to Reader’s Digest, it’s not uncommon to see cars piled up tail to tail, to exacerbate matters checkpoints add to the already slow grind. Recently what has happened is tens of thousands of Baghdadis have found an antidote (to the traffic) in the venerable bicycle scooter.

Now the bicycle scooter isn’t really a new invention – it has been around for yonks and marries two technologies, first the internal combustion engine and on reserve your leg power. Of late made in China scooters have been making their way into Iraq for the same reason they are popular all over the world, they’re cheap, easy to maintain and they’re a fast way to weave through the jam. But Iraqis also have one added motivation to go pedal power: soldiers at checkpoints often wave them through. Soldiers tend to view two wheelers as hardly the preferred carriage of suicide bombers. One reason is because unlike cars which can be rigged with all sorts of explosive devices, two wheelers are pretty skeletal and they allow for quick checks. Besides unlike cars that have to negotiate through tight S bends in barricades, two wheelers do it in a jiffy with plenty of room to spare.

As the number of scooters on the road has dramatically risen, a thriving support network for the care and maintenance of scooters and motorbikes has sprung up as well. In middle east internet forums the No.1 topic these days is not how to make a bomb as much as how to patch up a tire leak or change a spark plug – all this goes a long way towards revitalizing the entrepreneurial spirit of Iraqis which took a nose dive when the US rolled in, in 2003. Recently with the increased strain placed on gasoline supply, eventually even mopeds will be phased on in place for electric scooters. This we foresee will be a new and exciting market in Iraq. I would make more sense as a long-term solution for a country that frequently faces an intermittent supply of gasoline.

Pumpman – 2007 (The Brotherhood Press – Far Out Business Enterprises)

Booooooooh !

Hi folks,  

Did I scare you, for dropping in like this? Hey, I am sorry man. What you just read from Pumpman is one of the formats which we will be introducing next year in 2008.

We call it the mini skirt, it’s short, clear and concise, written exclusively by our team of industry watchers, next year we will be dividing articles according to our team of subject matter experts e.g pump man is oil and gas, Trajan would be space, Cerebus physics, Atomic Monkey – finances and investing etc – the whole idea is to make sure, we cover every possible angle so that you always get the best analysis to make the best informed decision.

Look at the bright side, at least you wouldn’t have to keep reading the rubbish I churn out?

See you yah!  Reg Darkness 2007