From my sis

A boat docked in a tiny Mexican village. An American tourist
complimented the Mexican fisherman on the quality of his fish and
asked how long it took him to catch them."Not very long," answered the
Mexican. "But then, why didn't you stay out longer and catch more?"
asked the American.The Mexican explained that his small catch was
sufficient to meet his needs and those of his family.The American
asked, "But what do you do with the rest of your time?"

"I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, and take a siesta
with my wife. In the evenings, I go into the village to see my
friends, play the guitar, and sing a few songs... I have a full life."

The American interrupted, "I have an MBA from Harvard, and I can help
you! You should start by fishing longer every day. You can then sell
the extra fish you catch. With the extra revenue, you can buy a
bigger boat."

"And after that?" asked the Mexican."With the extra money the larger
boat will bring, you can buy a second one and a third one and so on
until you have an entire fleet of trawlers. Instead of selling your
fish to a middle man, you can then negotiate directly with the
processing plants and maybe even open your own plant. You can then
leave this little village and move to Mexico City, Los Angeles, or
even New York City! From there you can direct your huge new enterprise."

"How long would that take?" asked the Mexican."Twenty, perhaps
twenty-five years," replied the American.

"And after that?""Afterwards? Well my Friend, That's when it gets
really interesting," answered the American, laughing. "When your
business gets really big, you can start selling stocks and make
millions!"

"Millions? Really? And after that?" said the Mexican.

"After that you'll be able to retire, live in a tiny village near the
coast, sleep late, play with your children, catch a few fish, take a
siesta with your wife and spend your evenings doing what you like and
enjoying your friends."

And the moral is:
Know where you're going in life...
you may already be there.

An Exchange

People often ask for good news so here is a little story. It’s important to keep in mind that skilled Iraqi laborers on the base earn no more than $10 a day. I’m not sure how much Iraqi soldiers are paid but it can’t be much more than the $10 a ay and may very well be less.

It’s easy to be cynical and to discount the story as just pr bs, which it very well may be. But, on the other hand, it’s been pretty amazing to watch the Iraqi Army grow in size, ability and confidence.

It sounds kind of hokey but when you’re driving to lunch and you pass an Iraqi Convoy about to go out on patrol and they look at you, twenty faces at once, and smile, and give the thumbs up, well, it’s just a good feeling.

Iraqi Soldiers Donate to Katrina Victims

Iraqi soldiers collected 1,000,000 Iraqi dinars for victims of Hurricane Katrina.
By Multinational Security Transition Command-Iraq

TAJI, Iraq, Sept. 9, 2005 — Iraqi soldiers serving at Taji military base collected 1,000,000 Iraqi dinars for victims of Hurricane Katrina.Iraqi Col. Abbas Fadhil, Iraqi base commander, presented the money to U.S. Col. Paul D. Linkenhoker, Taji Coalition base commander, at a Sept. 5 staff meeting.

"We are all brothers. When one suffers tragedy, we all suffer their pain."
Iraqi Col. Abbas Fadhil “We are all brothers,” said Abbas. “When one suffers tragedy, we all suffer their pain.”The amount of money is small in American dollars - roughly $680 - but it represents a huge act of compassion from Iraqi soldiers to their American counterparts, said U.S. Army Maj. Michael Goyne.

“I was overwhelmed by the amount of their generosity,” Goyne said. “I was proud and happy to know Col. Abbas, his officers, NCOs and fellow soldiers. That amount represents a month’s salary for most of those soldiers.”

Abbas read a letter he wrote after giving the envelope to Linkenhoker. "I am Colonel Abbas Fadhil; Tadji Military Base Commander,” Abbas wrote. “On behalf of myself and all the People of Tadji Military Base; I would like to console the American People and Government for getting this horrible disaster. So we would like to donate 1.000.000 Iraqi Dinars to help the government and the People also I would like to console all the ASTs who helped us rebuilding our country and our Army. We appreciate the American's help and support. Thank you."