nvm
26th June 2008, 08:45
Whoever talks about economic disaster in Iraq as a consequence of the imperialist invasion, is evidently missing a part of the story. Not everybody is complaining in Baghdad. As we have been able to read in several newspapers over the past few days, the owners of gyms are making good money because the Iraqi bodybuilding scene is experiencing a true post-war boom!
Zaid Sabah write in USA Today: "Gyms, like other businesses, were tightly regulated under Saddam Hussein's regime, but the weightlifting union lost control after the US-led invasion. Now entrepreneurs don't need permission before opening a gym. Dozens of gyms have opened around Baghdad over the past couple of years, capitalizing on the new freedoms and demand."
Unfortunately, this blossoming of athletic freedom has also a less bright side. Ernesto Londoño and Saad al-Izzi explain it on the Washington Post: "Many Iraqis still join gyms to build muscle in the hopes of landing a high-paying job in security, which, like bodybuilding, is one of Iraq's few growth industries."
What a marvellous situation indeed! Iraqi workers, the imperialist invaders are giving you a chance to build up your body and sacrifice it to defend Western multinationals!
Oh, and there's one last bit of black humour from USA Today: "The government banned giving Western names to businesses, but after the regime collapsed, Talib renamed his gym for Schwarzenegger."
In Defence of Marxism (http://www.marxist.com)
Zaid Sabah write in USA Today: "Gyms, like other businesses, were tightly regulated under Saddam Hussein's regime, but the weightlifting union lost control after the US-led invasion. Now entrepreneurs don't need permission before opening a gym. Dozens of gyms have opened around Baghdad over the past couple of years, capitalizing on the new freedoms and demand."
Unfortunately, this blossoming of athletic freedom has also a less bright side. Ernesto Londoño and Saad al-Izzi explain it on the Washington Post: "Many Iraqis still join gyms to build muscle in the hopes of landing a high-paying job in security, which, like bodybuilding, is one of Iraq's few growth industries."
What a marvellous situation indeed! Iraqi workers, the imperialist invaders are giving you a chance to build up your body and sacrifice it to defend Western multinationals!
Oh, and there's one last bit of black humour from USA Today: "The government banned giving Western names to businesses, but after the regime collapsed, Talib renamed his gym for Schwarzenegger."
In Defence of Marxism (http://www.marxist.com)