Iraqis buy life jackets for trip to Europe's distant shores Ali's friends told him to bring a life jacket, so the young Iraqi man headed to a Baghdad sports shop and bought a bright orange one with a whistle attached. He wore shorts and a T-shirt, but was not planning a vacation or a day at the beach. Ali sees no future for himself in Iraq and intends to make the perilous sea journey to Europe that has claimed thousands of lives this year. IMAGES AND SOUNDBITES