News with no link required

As happens on numerous occasions, people post an Interesting article, but no link. I would like this thread to take care of that problem. Feel free to post worthy news articles here, where no one can demand a link, as this is what this thread is about.........no link. Please dont post bogus reports, as I have on occasion found interestings articles, but have not had a link, so I could only send to friends. We are all in this Investment together and only want to be as well Informed as possible. As adults we can all make are own decisions as to what to believe.......and what not to.

Mr. Bee

PS, Mods, if you feel this is in the wrong section, please feel free to move to proper spot at your discretion. TY

Arts Academy Promotes Iraqi Reconciliation
“Everybody is one on the stage," director of ballet troupe says

By James Helicke
USINFO Special Correspondent





The Iraqi National Ballet performs a scene from the ballet, Sleeping Beauty, during a 10-day workshop held in July in the northern Iraqi city of Erbil. About 300 of the most talented performers from across Iraq trained with acclaimed U.S. artists, helping to reinforce a sense of unity, normalcy and hope through the arts. (State Dept.)

The Iraqi National Ballet performs a scene from the ballet Sleeping Beauty during a workshop held in Erbil, Iraq. (State Dept.)Erbil, Iraq -- Young Iraqi ballerinas in pink costumes gracefully glided across a stage to a concerto by Mozart as a veteran U.S. dancer watched their every step.

"Listen to the music," Quae Simpson gently told the girls, members of Baghdad’s only ballet troupe. "Watch your posture!"

The workshop was one of dozens at Iraq's National Unity Performing and Visual Arts Academy held in July in the northern Iraqi city of Erbil. The academy provided an opportunity for about 300 of the most talented performers from across Iraq to train with acclaimed U.S. artists, and reinforced a sense of unity, normalcy and hope through the arts.

Ten professional musicians and performers from the not-for-profit organization American Voices provided the free training to the Iraqi ballet dancers, folk dancers and musicians, classical musicians, jazz musicians and hip-hop performers. The program was supported by the U.S. Embassy and the Iraqi Kurdistan Regional Government Ministry of Culture. (See related article.)

"I’m a teacher. This is my passion and I have to share it," said Simpson, a Baltimore native who has been a featured dancer in popular New York musical productions. “I think it’s up to us to let people know we care.”

Mahasin al-Khatib, director of Baghdad’s Butterfly Ballet Company, added that the arts academy promotes reconciliation and national unity for Iraq.

"We feel there’s a strong love that binds us here together. Everybody is one on the stage," said al-Khatib, a Russian-trained ballerina. "I brought Kurds, Assyrians, Shia and Sunnis together. I wanted to bring all these people together, to unite the Iraqi people through dance."

However, she also acknowledged that pursuing her love for ballet has often been challenging amid violence in Baghdad. In 2005, on the day of a wedding for one of her brothers, another brother was killed. Her ballet group had been scheduled to participate in a cultural event in Cairo, Egypt, the next day.

"I was almost finished. But because of my love for ballet and the arts, I realized that life should continue. I needed to prove this, so I went," she said.

Many artists at the arts academy expressed optimism that the arts might contribute to healing Iraq’s wounds from conflict.

"I don’t care about war and fighting. I care about dancing," said Brwa Abdulrahman, a self-taught hip-hop dancer from the northern city of Sulaimaniyah. "It’s a reality that we lived in war. But we didn’t take part. We just danced."

The intense training -- sometimes beginning early in the morning and ending late at night -- culminated in two gala concerts that emphasized national unity.

A "Jazz Bridges Concert" on July 22 featured blends of Iraqi Kurdish and Arabic folk music with jazz themes along with traditional music and dance. A July 23 "National Unity Concert" concluded with a performance by a national unity orchestra that combined the talents of the Iraq National Symphony Orchestra and orchestras from the Kurdistan region of northern Iraq.

Organizers also worked to ensure that the training and belief in the arts would not end with the close of the program. American Voices donated many musical scores, teaching materials, ballet slippers and other supplies that are difficult to find in Iraq. It was a gesture that the young ballerinas are unlikely to forget.

"They slept with their slippers under their pillows," al-Khatib, the ballet director, said of her dancers. "They were dreaming like Cinderella."

(USINFO

Its great to see that the Iraqi's can overcome this horrible situation and show there love of the arts,

Thxs Mike 5200

Mr. Bee

Its been said that certain companies will begin drilling in the North, regardless of of the HCL, or otherwise. This will start to happen between the 7th-10th of this month. While I had thought to keep this quiet, as Ive had nothing concrete, has anyone else heard this?

Mr Bee

This is a great idea, thanks miss bee.

Or was that mrs. bee?LOL

i think that is interesting about the companies that will begin drilling. guess we will have to watch for it.

....that's Mister B silly wabbit!....:rofl:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by tiffany

....that's Mister B silly wabbit!....:rofl:

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:eek:http://smileys.on-my-web.com/reposit...bunny-2892.gif

Found elsewhere that the sotaliraq website has been hacked....

Eerie......

Professor Iraqi Invent a New Machine for the Liquidation of Sea Water

Adel Ebeid Sharif Husseini was born in the area of power in Iraq; I was educated in the district Shamia then graduated from Baghdad University Engineering Department; In 1987 emigrated to Britain within the scientific mission benefited students top ten; get the ******* and then doctorate from the University of Wales in Swansea then began his research scholar at the University of surrey and then up to the professor and then to the professor.

Professor just specialize in the area of separation of materials and membranes in the medical industry; Leaders ambitious and perseverance to the discovery of a new technique for the liquidation of seawater.

Says Professor Adel; The new technology similar to the old technique known in water purification; , Which depend on the pressure of salted water to extract fresh water; As it separates new discoveries about how water (osmosis) natural; Therefore, the machines used by at least ten times the cost of the old machines; This has led companies and investors to buy shares of his company as soon as they enter the capital market and business in London stock company.

Professor just happened in 2005 to grant amount Seventy million pounds sterling of the British Association of innovations; In 2007 received the medal of excellence for best representative of the Muslim community in Britain;

Adel al-Husseini, when talking about the world's water crisis and the greenhouse effect speaks bitterly and says : that the solution to us; But the giant companies do not want; Because it is not profitable! Whatever thought, wrote in the British newspaper Alandbent Fosalth telephone threats from persons and companies; Does not want to disclose the identity!

Professor said : "The ideal solution to address the water shortage in the world and the greenhouse effect is planting trees; Yes, says reforestation is the solution; Because the plants and trees absorb carbon dioxide gas and release oxygen in the water! But this solution does not pleased companies seeking to reap profits even at the expense of the future of mankind! هكذا يقول:Thus wrote :

The world will witness a large drier in the southern part of the rains and floods in the northern part (rich), and this is what happened in Britain recently; Men money, business and commercial companies investing in disaster effects of nature, especially floods : such as dam construction, which has collapsed; Housing; Shops; Selling more goods destroyed, etc.;

They were the same companies that sell auto engine and air-conditioning their gas adversely affect the ozone layer!

Asked about the role of scientists and politicians?

He replied : world political subject (unfortunately) to the owners of capital! The process of afforestation costly but unprofitable! States are also requiring green belt is the South; Industrialized countries enjoy the green and flushing rivers in all seasons!

؟I said : But this will lead to the migration of scary from the south towards the north in search of water and green?

He said this does not matter much capital owners; They will benefit from the cheap labor in the North after they Itardonha in the south! !

Adds Professor transplant if every British citizen Nakhla, one in Iraq (60 million Nakhla) were able to reduce the greenhouse effect over the skies of Britain for many years to come!

Talk with just Husseini interesting and complex one, when talking about the Arab people, or about his Iraq add some hope for the future de****e the state of frustration among Arab youth; Wrote :

Our young people must work and persevere there is nothing impossible in this life; In 2025 Iraq will become the richest country in the world after China, according to Western economic institutionsAnd Iraq can be disbursed to 260 million people over a thousand years; Given the oil reserve, which exalts him; This is what gives us hope that investment in the minds of the new generations

Five Iraqi Orchestras Unite for U.S. Embassy-Sponsored National Unity Performing and Visual Arts Academy
Classical, Jazz, Theater, Contemporary Dance– U.S. Cultural Diplomacy Brings Iraqis Educational Curriculum July 14-23, 2007
Erbil, Iraq
August 1, 2007


The french horn section of the Iraqi National Orchestra plays at the culmination of 10-day camp in Erbil, Iraq. (State Dept.)

The U.S. Embassy, in conjunction with not-for-profit organization American Voices and the Kurdish Regional Government Ministry of Culture united five Iraqi Orchestras on one stage this July, as part of The National Unity Performing and Visual Arts Academy. The Academy -- the first project of its kind in Iraq – provided a cross cultural educational experience to nearly 300 of the country's aspiring performers.

A team of ten renowned American music, dance and theater instructors visited Northern Iraq, creating a ten day training camp for young Iraqi artists. In addition to providing free training, the academy united all of Iraq's four orchestras, as well as a newly formed Youth Orchestra, on one stage for a performance at the culmination of the program.

“It is indeed an historic moment for all of Iraq’s orchestras to be united, in harmony, on one stage,” said U.S. Ambassador Ryan Crocker. “It is wonderful to see the fusion of American and Iraqi cultural heritage and talent.”

Through the academy, arts educators provided detailed instruction in Jazz, Classical, Chamber music and more. Dance studies included Ballet, Jazz and contemporary dance, while Theater sessions incorporated selections from “Grease” and “The Wizard of Oz.”

“This demonstrates the progress that can be achieved when Iraqis of various backgrounds come together for a common purpose” said Pat Butenis, Deputy Chief of Mission at Embassy Baghdad, at the opening of the National Unity Concert.

The National Unity Performing and Visual Arts Academy is a follow-up to a joint U.S. Embassy-American Voices program in February 2007 at Baghdad’s Al Rasheed hotel, which featured an American song and dance ensemble and the Iraqi National Symphony Orchestra, performing for an Iraqi audience, as well as Under Secretary of State Karen Hughes.

During a walkthrough of the academy, Minister of Culture for the Kurdish Regional Government Falakadin Kakaye, praised the program, saying “Art means life to us. I am sure that through music and culture in general, we can solve the problems of Iraq. We can do this through tolerance and peacefully living together.”

In addition to the U.S. Embassy and American Voices, the National Unity Performing and Visual Arts Academy received support from the Ministry of Culture of the Kurdish Regional Government, the Baghdad School of Music and Dance, The Iraqi National Symphony Orchestra, The Symphony Orchestras of Erbil and Suleimanya, National Folk Dancers of Iraq and the Institutes of Fine Arts in Erbil, Suleimanya and Dohuk.

Thanks Mike for suporting this thread. Your one of the best news hounds Ive ever seen.

Mr. Bee

OK I know, my spelling stinks, show me someone whos spelling does not :O)

The Green Zone Follies

Baghdad, 1 Aug 07: “Reading the New York Times on the net, I see an op ed piece by O’Hanlnn and Pollack from the Brookings people. I and my friends laughed for some time about this. We call this the Greater Fool Game.

I suppose that by now, everyone has heard about how Bush’s moronic ‘surge’ is a huge success and that the generals here are ‘stunningly optimistic’ and, even funnier, that the soldier’s ‘morale is booming as never before.’ You all should know that we have on call here in Baghdad, selected groups of friendly, white, photogenic young fellows who are kept on tap, and all dressed in nice neat combat uniforms, to entertain i-diot journalists and visiting big wigs like the really air-headed McCain and others like that when they come over to the New Democratic Paradise to View the Real Picture.

These PR monkeys are the same ones who were writing silly pieces to various U.S. newspapers, purporting to come from local boys stationed in Iraq and raving about how the war was being won and how much the Iraqis just loved us. The Seattle Post-Intelligencer exposed that one. Soldiers from, let’s say, Des Moines, were called in, handed a fictional press release, ordered to sign it and warned to keep quiet about it. Finally, it was decided that this might eventually present a risk of exposure so a Lieutenant friend of mine just copied their signatures onto the forms.

Listen, the ‘surge’ is a total failure. The local civil war is raging all around us, every effing day huge car bombs obliterate half a neighborhood, the rag heads are killing people inside the Green Zone on a daily basis what with deadly long-range sniping and mortar attacks, drug use by everybody is rampant, no one wants to go outside the Green Zone in any kind of a street vehicle, tacked- on useless armor or not, because the newer generation of road bombs have been known to blow up a tank and knock it onto its side.

The enemy is now using heat-seeking rockets (‘from Iran’ the White House Goebbels Department screeches, but they are from Saudi Arabia instead and our intelligence people are well aware of this) and are nailing choppers full of men on a daily basis (six last week with thirty-two dead) and I know you never get a single word of this Stateside. Only if one blows up in front of the few foreign reporters still allowed here is anything said. And foreign journalists, or even our own, dare not step over the line or they are shot “by accident” by two nasty special units, kept around to get rid of potential problem people. No man, no problem. And the Pentagon sends out a mass printed Xeroxed letter with a rubber- stamped signature to relatives or employers. The crocodile weeps.

Believe me, the resistance people are not winning….no dear hearts from the Brookings, they have won.

We all know we have to be pulled out of here. A hundred and fifty thousand of us and twenty five million of them are not good odds.

We’re all trying to find a legit way of getting out before the other side has a surge of its own and kills everything living inside the Green Zone, including the CG’s pet sheep. And, we pray to God, all the Israeli military and intelligence rats infesting this unholy place. And when you read unadulterated shit like the Brookings fairy tales, keep your tongue in your cheek. And if either of these two stooges ever leave Brookings, they can write children’s books about Fuzzy the Rat or do speeches for Pat Robertson or Randy Rudy, the 911 Hero (Another joke here). “

what a spectacular post. thank you very much for telling the truth. God bless you.

Folks, you don't get the truth spoon fed to you any better than what Inscrutable did for you. He's giving you the real deal and not the BS. Thanks Inscrutable for your post. At least with your take people here get a more truly balanced view of the situation. I can hardly wait for the Elections to change the bong water of this government.

Best regards,

Thelema

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Thelema

Folks, you don't get the truth spoon fed to you any better than what Inscrutable did for you. He's giving you the real deal and not the BS. Thanks Inscrutable for your post. At least with your take people here get a more truly balanced view of the situation. I can hardly wait for the Elections to change the bong water of this government.

Best regards,

Thelema

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Don't be so sure, Inscrutable got this article from rense.com a well known leftwing anti - govt site. which got it form tbrnews.com which is another one-You have to take anything from these sites with a huge grain of salt that would choke a horse IMO.If he starts bringing you articles from ureknet.info which is a propaganda site for the insurgency, the only thing to do is RUN AWAY

:ro_emote:

Yes, and that too. But, as I remember when I was in the service during the Vietnam War, what we were told and/or made to do was usually in no way even close to what the world at large knew anything about. Don't necessarily disregard the so-called left-wing or liberal sources wholesale. From my experiences, you are likely to find something more akin to the truth than not in many such news sources. It is an extreme advantage these days to be able to source your news from so many varying sources. We'll see how this all plays out in due time.

Best regards,

Thelema

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Mike5200

Don't be so sure, Inscrutable got this article from rense.com a well known leftwing anti - govt site. which got it form tbrnews.com which is another one-You have to take anything from these sites with a huge grain of salt that would choke a horse IMO.If he starts bringing you articles from ureknet.info which is a propaganda site for the insurgency, the only thing to do is RUN AWAY

:ro_emote:

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Well Mike, unfortunately it's the truth. I've spoken with two young men in my area who have recently returned from Iraq and they tell a similar story. They said the only way for things to calm down would be for the troops to leave. The Iraqi's are not fighting each other they are fighting in a crossfire with the occupation.

Well your truth has NEVER been my truth- back on ignore you go.I've always thought you had some weird agenda and this confirms it.Don"t respond to this post, you can fool many people with your nonsense, your not fooling me!
GOODBYE

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Mike5200

Well your truth has NEVER been my truth- back on ignore you go.I've always thought you had some weird agenda and this confirms it.Don"t respond to this post, you can fool many people with your nonsense, your not fooling me!
GOODBYE

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The least you could have done was agree to disagree.

I personally don't maintain an ignorant list so I guess I miss the boat.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Inscrutable

Well Mike, unfortunately it's the truth. I've spoken with two young men in my area who have recently returned from Iraq and they tell a similar story. They said the only way for things to calm down would be for the troops to leave. The Iraqi's are not fighting each other they are fighting in a crossfire with the occupation.

---

IRAQ is not a really small place. I am currently in Baghdad and it has been quiet as a mouse for over a month. I see on the news reports just as you guys do about car bombs and suicide bombers but trust me when I tell you that all is NOT lost. Sorry I agree with Mike when I say that that article appears to be garbage. If you think that things will "calm" down if the US leaves you really have no idea as to what you are saying, or you are just not thinking clearly. The surge IS doing what is was intended to do. :ro_emote:

We may be lost but, we are making good time!!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by CampVictory

IRAQ is not a really small place. I am currently in Baghdad and it has been quiet as a mouse for over a month. I see on the news reports just as you guys do about car bombs and suicide bombers but trust me when I tell you that all is NOT lost. Sorry I agree with Mike when I say that that article appears to be garbage. If you think that things will "calm" down if the US leaves you really have no idea as to what you are saying, or you are just not thinking clearly. The surge IS doing what is was intended to do. :ro_emote:

We may be lost but, we are making good time!!

---

Now if only this Iraqi Government would do what IT IS SUPPOSED TO DO instead of take month long vacations at such a HISTORICAL TIME in their history....if the surge is indeed doing what it is supposed to do isn't it about time that this Government do what IT IS SUPPOSED TO DO?you can lead a horse to water but if he don't want to drink he won't....time for this Government to start drinking some of the water....or get out of the kitchen....IMHO...Pat:rant:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by CampVictory

IRAQ is not a really small place. I am currently in Baghdad and it has been quiet as a mouse for over a month. I see on the news reports just as you guys do about car bombs and suicide bombers but trust me when I tell you that all is NOT lost. Sorry I agree with Mike when I say that that article appears to be garbage. If you think that things will "calm" down if the US leaves you really have no idea as to what you are saying, or you are just not thinking clearly. The surge IS doing what is was intended to do. :ro_emote:

We may be lost but, we are making good time!!

---

So being there you assume the reports of car bombs and 30 dead per day is hype?

Contradiction (in your post), please look it up and not make service people seem so doltish.

2007 press releases
Public Affairs Counselor Philip Reeker Takes Part in Asian Cup Victory Ceremony in Baghdad
Baghdad, Iraq
August 4, 2007


Public Affairs Counselor Philip Reeker poses with members of the Iraqi national soccer team. (U.S. Embassy Baghdad)

On August 4, Public Affairs Counselor Philip Reeker attended an official ceremony for the victorious Iraqi national soccer team organized by the Iraqi Ministry for Youth and Sports in Baghdad's Al-Rasheed Hotel.

In addition to congratulating the Minister for Youth and Sports, Mr. Jasim Muhammad Ja'far, and other Iraqi sports dignitaries on the team's victory in the Asian Cup, Mr. Reeker emphasized the importance of this historic event for the Iraqi people and expressed hope that it will encourage them to persevere in working for a prosperous and united Iraq. Mr. Reeker also talked to some of the players, whom he praised for their superb performance and exemplary team spirit.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Inscrutable

So being there you assume the reports of car bombs and 30 dead per day is hype?

Contradiction (in your post), please look it up and not make service people seem so doltish.

---

Inscrutable do you see the word "HYPE" anywhere in my post? I would appreciate you not putting words in my mouth.

I suppose if your searching for contradictions you can find them in my post. Baghdad is not a really small place. I realize there have been some acts of terrorism and I don't doubt that this will continue for some time. I do however think that things have quieted down considerably. I obviously don't hear every single mortor round, car bomb, IED etc. that goes off in IRAQ but where I am has been quiet as a mouse.

I hope this clarifies to you what I was trying to point out. If not ask away as I have all night.

Who are these service people you claim I make seem "doltish"?

doltish - heavy and dull and stupid

I would like to take this opportunity to aploligize to these service people at this time as that was certainly not my intention.

Also a BIG thanks to Inscrutable for the addition of the word "doltish" to my obviously poor vocabulary. :ro_emote:

May you all have a blessed day........CV

Camp Victory,
I know I speak for many American's in saying thank-you to you and your fellow service members for your service to our country. Keep your eyes open and your head down and thanks for offering insights some of us are not able to offer.

I wasn't putting words in your mouth, sorry if it taste that way. It was my way of asking if you feel it's media "hype".

So being there you assume the reports of car bombs and 30 dead per day is hype?<--- Question.

I hear Camp Victory is the Club Med of Iraq so it's no wonder it's quiet, that is of course if that is your base.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by CampVictory

Inscrutable do you see the word "HYPE" anywhere in my post? I would appreciate you not putting words in my mouth.

I suppose if your searching for contradictions you can find them in my post. Baghdad is not a really small place. I realize there have been some acts of terrorism and I don't doubt that this will continue for some time. I do however think that things have quieted down considerably. I obviously don't hear every single mortor round, car bomb, IED etc. that goes off in IRAQ but where I am has been quiet as a mouse.

I hope this clarifies to you what I was trying to point out. If not ask away as I have all night.

Who are these service people you claim I make seem "doltish"?

doltish - heavy and dull and stupid

I would like to take this opportunity to aploligize to these service people at this time as that was certainly not my intention.

Also a BIG thanks to Inscrutable for the addition of the word "doltish" to my obviously poor vocabulary. :ro_emote:

May you all have a blessed day........CV

---

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Inscrutable

I wasn't putting words in your mouth, sorry if it taste that way. It was my way of asking if you feel it's media "hype".

So being there you assume the reports of car bombs and 30 dead per day is hype?<--- Question.

I hear Camp Victory is the Club Med of Iraq so it's no wonder it's quiet, that is of course if that is your base.

---

AnyDay thanks for the kind words. I am a VET these days, but I still appreciate it.

Inscrutable you hear this is like "Club Med" do ya?

I personally don't have a lot of "Club Med" experience but if that is truly the case I doubt they will be in business much longer.

I am not sure what your asking by saying, "that is of course if that is your base".

So if you have a particular question feel free to respond with a more definative question.

Are you based in CV?


Life at Iraq's Camp Victory

CAMP VICTORY, Iraq - Referees whistle fouls during the opening game of a night basketball league. Soldiers mill about fast food joints, waiting for Pizza Hut to call their orders over the blare of pop music. A soldier and an Asian worker chat in the shadow of a blast wall.

Explosions periodically rumble in the distance.

Here at Camp Victory, which some soldiers jokingly refer to as "Campus Victory," the war seems farther away than the distant blasts - even though the sprawling base near Baghdad International Airport is the headquarters for the U.S. military in Iraq.

Elsewhere in Iraq, many of the 130,000 American troops live in spartan conditions and exchange fire almost daily with insurgents. Hundreds of Marines in outposts along the Syrian border go weeks without showers or hot meals.

But at Camp Victory, a complex of caramel-colored stone palaces near Baghdad International Airport, top U.S. and coalition commanders now enjoy an array of modern conveniences and amenities.

U.S. troops now search for their SUVs in packed parking lots where Saddam Hussein once strolled. Soldiers in a clear blue pool play water volleyball. Manicures are available at a beauty parlor and contractors stroll home with their dry-cleaning in tow.

The pool and palaces were inherited from Baath Party strongmen, but many of the comforts came in the caravan of amenities that trails the modern American military. Better living conditions are part of efforts to retain soldiers who've recently spent more time beside their fellow troops than their wives or children. The efforts are appreciated by some.

"Camp Victory is the place where dreams are made," said Spc. Paul Gober, an Illinois National Guardsman from Chicago, shortly before he went for a swim.

At Camp Victory's pool, dozens sunbathed or swam, paying no attention to the distant blasts.

"Taking a swim. Surfing the Internet. And I'm getting paid for this?" said one soldier as he toweled himself off.

Life is far different in most of the dozens of U.S. bases across Iraq, many of which are dusty stretches of drab blast walls, dirt barriers and white trailers. Outside the city of Samarra, soldiers live beside an abandoned granary crawling with rodents.

To some infantrymen patrolling hot and dangerous streets across Iraq, the contrast in living conditions doesn't go unnoticed. Troops on isolated bases often ask visiting contractors or reporters if the stories about the U.S. Embassy complex in Baghdad or the Balad air base, known for its Olympic-size swimming pool and cinema, are true. Some stories are.

"There's some humble as hell living out here, some of these soldiers out there in the field," said Spc. Matt King of Charlotte, N.C., as he ate on a picnic bench outside a Pizza Hut branch located in a trailer. Workers said about 500 pizzas are served daily at Camp Victory. About 400 customers visit the Subway sandwich shop next door every day.

The appearance of large, well-equipped bases is partly due to a strategy that calls for Iraqi troops to take on more of the fighting while the Americans draw back in reserve. Large bases have been built outside Tikrit and Mosul as the Americans lower their profile in those areas.

Some U.S. officers acknowledge that troops based in comfort will find excuses to go on missions. For example, one Marine commander near the western city of Rutbah decided to limit comforts, allowing an Internet cafe but opting to keep his dining hall in the hands of Marine cooks instead of contractors.

"The thing I worry about Camp Victory and these large (bases) is that it decreases our effectiveness because it reduces our exposure to the enemy," said Spc. Steven L. Listwan, a guardsman from Addison, Ill. "There's a lot of people who are not going out of Victory day to day."

At Forward Operating Base Falcon, where soldiers live in an abandoned auto factory in one of Baghdad's most dangerous areas, soldiers gripe about living conditions - while some admit they prefer hard living.

"Compared to Victory, (Falcon) looks like squalor," said 1st Lt. Brian Murphy of Eastchester, N.Y. "But I'd live miserable. Comfortable reminds me of home. But it's nice to go to Burger King every once and awhile."

Sound Off...What do you think? Join the discussion.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by CampVictory

AnyDay thanks for the kind words. I am a VET these days, but I still appreciate it.

Inscrutable you hear this is like "Club Med" do ya?

I personally don't have a lot of "Club Med" experience but if that is truly the case I doubt they will be in business much longer.

I am not sure what your asking by saying, "that is of course if that is your base".

So if you have a particular question feel free to respond with a more definative question.

---

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Inscrutable

Are you based in CV?


Life at Iraq's Camp Victory

CAMP VICTORY, Iraq - Referees whistle fouls during the opening game of a night basketball league. Soldiers mill about fast food joints, waiting for Pizza Hut to call their orders over the blare of pop music. A soldier and an Asian worker chat in the shadow of a blast wall.

Explosions periodically rumble in the distance.

Here at Camp Victory, which some soldiers jokingly refer to as "Campus Victory," the war seems farther away than the distant blasts - even though the sprawling base near Baghdad International Airport is the headquarters for the U.S. military in Iraq.

Elsewhere in Iraq, many of the 130,000 American troops live in spartan conditions and exchange fire almost daily with insurgents. Hundreds of Marines in outposts along the Syrian border go weeks without showers or hot meals.

But at Camp Victory, a complex of caramel-colored stone palaces near Baghdad International Airport, top U.S. and coalition commanders now enjoy an array of modern conveniences and amenities.

U.S. troops now search for their SUVs in packed parking lots where Saddam Hussein once strolled. Soldiers in a clear blue pool play water volleyball. Manicures are available at a beauty parlor and contractors stroll home with their dry-cleaning in tow.

The pool and palaces were inherited from Baath Party strongmen, but many of the comforts came in the caravan of amenities that trails the modern American military. Better living conditions are part of efforts to retain soldiers who've recently spent more time beside their fellow troops than their wives or children. The efforts are appreciated by some.

"Camp Victory is the place where dreams are made," said Spc. Paul Gober, an Illinois National Guardsman from Chicago, shortly before he went for a swim.

At Camp Victory's pool, dozens sunbathed or swam, paying no attention to the distant blasts.

"Taking a swim. Surfing the Internet. And I'm getting paid for this?" said one soldier as he toweled himself off.

Life is far different in most of the dozens of U.S. bases across Iraq, many of which are dusty stretches of drab blast walls, dirt barriers and white trailers. Outside the city of Samarra, soldiers live beside an abandoned granary crawling with rodents.

To some infantrymen patrolling hot and dangerous streets across Iraq, the contrast in living conditions doesn't go unnoticed. Troops on isolated bases often ask visiting contractors or reporters if the stories about the U.S. Embassy complex in Baghdad or the Balad air base, known for its Olympic-size swimming pool and cinema, are true. Some stories are.

"There's some humble as hell living out here, some of these soldiers out there in the field," said Spc. Matt King of Charlotte, N.C., as he ate on a picnic bench outside a Pizza Hut branch located in a trailer. Workers said about 500 pizzas are served daily at Camp Victory. About 400 customers visit the Subway sandwich shop next door every day.

The appearance of large, well-equipped bases is partly due to a strategy that calls for Iraqi troops to take on more of the fighting while the Americans draw back in reserve. Large bases have been built outside Tikrit and Mosul as the Americans lower their profile in those areas.

Some U.S. officers acknowledge that troops based in comfort will find excuses to go on missions. For example, one Marine commander near the western city of Rutbah decided to limit comforts, allowing an Internet cafe but opting to keep his dining hall in the hands of Marine cooks instead of contractors.

"The thing I worry about Camp Victory and these large (bases) is that it decreases our effectiveness because it reduces our exposure to the enemy," said Spc. Steven L. Listwan, a guardsman from Addison, Ill. "There's a lot of people who are not going out of Victory day to day."

At Forward Operating Base Falcon, where soldiers live in an abandoned auto factory in one of Baghdad's most dangerous areas, soldiers gripe about living conditions - while some admit they prefer hard living.

"Compared to Victory, (Falcon) looks like squalor," said 1st Lt. Brian Murphy of Eastchester, N.Y. "But I'd live miserable. Comfortable reminds me of home. But it's nice to go to Burger King every once and awhile."

Sound Off...What do you think? Join the discussion.

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Camp Victory is in Baghdad. Doesn't my name and my posts give the impression that I am based at Camp Victory? Do you really need me to spell it out for you. If I didn't know better I would say you may be a bit doltish.

I am sure there are all sorts of amenities that one can enjoy on days off HERE AT CAMP VICTORY. I work 7/12 but that's not my point here. Would you be more content if there wasn't anything here for soldiers to do on their days off? Would you rather they stay on convoys and guard duty all day every day?

I am also pretty sure that there have been a number of personnel killed in previous months here in Baghdad. Since your so efficient at finding articles why don't you research those killed in Baghdad for a while and post those?

By the way you never explained as to what service folks I was making appear "doltish"?

I am not here to argue with you sir. Have a great day!

Doltish? Obviously I was referring to you as you post claiming to be a service man in Iraq. Check your PM.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by CampVictory

[SIZE=3]By the way you never explained as to what service folks I was making appear "doltish"?

I am not here to argue with you sir. Have a great day!

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by Inscrutable

Doltish? Obviously I was referring to you as you post claiming to be a service man in Iraq. Check your PM.

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Please show me where I claim to be a serviceman in IRAQ. I assure you I am aware of my status here.

Also I am not in need of any websights or articles that show deaths or injuries anywhere in IRAQ.

If you had read my post you would realize that I suggested you post them here in the thread for the readers to enjoy since you want to try and paint a rosy picture of the place.

I do appreciate your efforts though. :ro_emote:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by CampVictory

Please show me where I claim to be a serviceman in IRAQ. I assure you I am aware of my status here.

Also I am not in need of any websights or articles that show deaths or injuries anywhere in IRAQ.

If you had read my post you would realize that I suggested you post them here in the thread for the readers to enjoy since you want to try and paint a rosy picture of the place.
You friend were the one painting the rosy picture. Read your post related to the truth article.

I do appreciate your efforts though. :ro_emote:

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I PM'd the link for your pleasure since you stated the article appears to be garbage. Look for yourself and see, it's not for the weak at heart.

We've certainly have taken this thread way off topic so any further comment that's not related to the thread would be appreciated in my PM.

It was correctly stated this thread has derailed. At this time, drop any further disputes and get back to posting "News" without a link necessary. Thank you.

Regards,

Thelema

Aug. 7, 2007, 4:51AM
Suicide bombing kills 28 — 19 children — in Iraq


By SAMEER N. YACOUB



BAGHDAD — As the suicide bomber rumbled his dump truck load of explosives into a Shiite neighborhood, families were getting ready for a new day in the northern city of Tal Afar.

Children were home on their summer break, and some were already outdoors playing hopscotch and marbles. Nineteen of them had just moments to live.

They were among the 28 people killed when the blast ripped through the neighborhood's tightly packed houses, the latest suicide bombing tragedy to hit the city that President Bush once called a success story after major military operations there against insurgents.

The American military, meanwhile, reported five new U.S. deaths: Four soldiers were killed in a combat explosion in restive Diyala province north of the capital Monday, and a soldier was killed and two were wounded during fighting in eastern Baghdad on Sunday.

Iraq's political crisis worsened Monday as five more ministers announced a boycott of Cabinet meetings — leaving the embattled prime minister's unity government with no members affiliated with Sunni political factions.

The Cabinet boycott of five ministers loyal to former Iraqi leader Ayad Allawi leaves the government, at least temporarily, without participants of the Sunni political apparatus — a deep blow to the prime minister's attempt to craft reconciliation among the country's majority Shiites and minority Sunnis and Kurds.

The Allawi bloc, a mixture of Sunnis and Shiites, cited al-Maliki's failure to respond to its demands for political reform. The top Sunni political bloc already had pulled its six ministers from the 40-member Cabinet of al-Maliki, a Shiite, last week.

In Tal Afar, meanwhile, officials slapped an immediate curfew on the religiously mixed city after the suicide bombing. The powerful blast caused houses to collapse and officials said the death toll could rise. Several residents said boys and girls were playing hopscotch and marbles outside the houses at the time of the explosion.

"This is an ugly crime. I cannot understand how the insurgents did not think about these children," said one man, Kahlil Atta, a wedding photographer in the city of 200,000 near the Syrian border.

MOSUL: Fifty-four people died in unabated sectarian violence in Iraq with yet another suicide bomb explosion killing 30 people and wounding 50. Twelve children were among 30 people killed in a massive blast when a suicide bomber blew up a truck packed with explosives in a Shi'ite village in northern Iraq. "Twenty houses were destroyed, 10 of them completely," said mayor of a near by town Tal Afar Major General Najim Abdullah said.

Witnesses also spoke of seeing foam to let the mattresses stick out of the truck to hide the explosives underneath, Abdullah said.

It was the deadliest attack on yet another bloody day in Iraq, where the military announced the deaths of five US soldiers in Baquba and four in the Diyala province.
Fifteen Iraqis were killed further south, including a roadside bomb that wiped out nine.

Says nine but likely 29 or more.