odds & ends

Corruption...Guardian reports on doings in Paris and Iraq.

Nadhmi Auchi, who has a big stake in a consortium to build Iraq's mobile phone net work, was given a 15-month suspended jail sentence in Paris last week and fined £1.4 million for his role in the Elf oil scandal.

Missing police or ambulance drivers in your neighborhood? They may have gone to Iraq to work for Halliburton.

The Army has it's own theatre troupe heading out to Iraq.

BRAVO! Army Theatre Touring Company, an Army Entertainment Division production, is a program of the U.S. Army Community and Family Support Center in Alexandria, Va. It is one of more than 50 Morale, Welfare and Recreation programs the Army provides for Soldiers and families worldwide. Further information is available at the Army MWR Web site at http://www.armymwr.com

An army ranger and his brother have teamed up to create a charity, Kyle's Schools Campaign, to collect funds and supplies for 11 war-torn schools in Laylan, a small town in northern Iraq.

Environmental Chemical Corporation (ECC), a nationwide environmental, and ordnance and explosives (OE) remediation firm, is partnering with ZapataEngineering, a full-service engineering and OE firm, to donate much-needed money to the Kyle's Schools campaign. Created by Kyle Barden, an Army ranger serving in Iraq, and his brother, Taylor, the drive is bringing together individuals and businesses from across the country...