Good news from Iraq,

Part 9, from Arthur. I couldn’t let this go unnoticed, because it’s a must-read. Neither could the WSJ, which also published it.

Back home, sport and physical exercise are already breaking down barriers: “At the Arnold Classic Gym in Baghdad, two things matter: Arnold Schwarzenegger and bodybuilding.

. . . ECONOMY: In Baghdad, the Ministry of Trade has recently announced that the city’s old central markets, damaged during the 2003 fighting, will be converted into modern shopping malls, due to a high demand from Western and Arab companies looking for commercial opportunities and more shopping space. . .

[NY Postal employee Ryan] “Murphy’s team helped establish postal codes to improve speed and reliability and negotiated with the Universal Postal Union to get Iraq full voting-member status. The organization coordinates postal policies among its 189 member nations.”

. . . More good news for the Kurds, as global shipping firm Transoceanic opens its second (after Baghdad) Iraq office in Mosul: “the office will cater to the needs of companies focused on construction efforts in northern Iraq. The Mosul team is available 24/7 to supervise cargo transports and to provide ongoing status reporting.”

. . . On a somewhat smaller scale, though just as usefully, a group of 25 Iraqi agriculture delegates will be attending a four-and-a-half month training course organized through Western Australian Department of Agriculture and Curtin University. The course will bring the Iraqis up to speed with the world’s best practices and update them on the latest research to help them re-establish a successful agriculture industry back home.

Bodybuilding, the mall, international shipping and postal membership, and training on the science of agriculture; but there are more good news. Make sure to read it, and tell your friends, too.