021808 What the heck is a Twall?

It was supposed to rain today but instead we got an early duststorm. As you see from the pic the sky is not blue today but rather a hazy white. It'll probably rain tomorrow or tonight but either way by tomorrow afternoon, the sky will be a brilliant blue again.

Also from the pics you can see the Twalls (pronounced 'T' wall) behind. The Twalls are EVERYWHERE in Iraq and Afghanistand AND even select buildings in Kuwait. About a year back I was at the Crown Plaze hotel in Kuwait and lo and behold it was surrounded by Twalls. The purpose of a Twall is to 'minimize the destructive impact'. In other words, if a mortar round lands on the 'bad' side of the Twall behind me, the building (and its inhabitants) would suffer severe damage. But if a mortar round lands on the 'good' side of the Twall, then no damage is suffered by the building. By spreading out building locations and adding Twalls, the 'footprint' for any damage is thus greatly diminished.

As an interesting tidbit, notice how tall the Twall is compared to its base. Wouldn't you think that these things might tip over pretty easily? And how far (at the top) would you think one would have to tip the Twall such that it falls over. The answer is only about 4 inches in either direction at the top will allow a Twall to fall over. Fortunately they are 'notched' on the sides such that one will hold the 'neighbor' Twall up. And why might a Twall tip? Well, when it rains the ground can shift and move and every year one or two Twalls will fall over in the rainy season.