Word: ratting
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...despise the al-Maliki government because he believes it sold out not just to the U.S. but to Iran as well. He was furious that the al-Maliki government is fabulously corrupt and incompetent. How else can you explain the $100 billion of development money that disappeared down the rat holes in Washington and Baghdad? Or how the electricity and water shortages continue, as do the car bombs in Shi'a neighborhoods? And he is furious that the U.S. intends to abandon Iraq in three years, leaving a mess behind...
Mills enters data in his tablet computer and moves on to the vacant lot next door. Rats like to scurry under things when they're out in the open. Sure enough, we find rat burrows under several scattered pieces of concrete. He points out a distinct musty odor - more evidence of rats. It all goes into the computer, which contains a detailed map, including the outlines of buildings...
...goes, building by building, lot by lot. Every garbage can without a lid, every window screen that had been nudged aside just enough to let a rat slip by, grease marks from rat hair along a concrete wall - it all gets noted and pinpointed on the map. "We train our inspectors to see what everyone overlooks," says Corrigan, echoing Sherlock Holmes. "This is a living laboratory. There's probably 100 variations in rat colonies in New York as to how they behave...
Last November, a version of New York City's rat map was made public (first-time visitors may not be able to access the map immediately; send an e-mail to ratportal@health.nyc.gov to learn the workaround). You can search by zip code or exact address for information about the number of inspections or notices of violation at a given property. The interface of the public map is a bit clunky and hard to navigate, which may be why the city is sponsoring training sessions for community groups and other interested organizations. "We do hope to make this a bit more...
...Yorkers have really taken to the rat map, says Corrigan. "Once they realize you are not blaming them for the problems, they have really gotten into it," he says. It's amazing the things that New Yorkers can bond over...