Comments on Protecting Hospitals in Iraq

13 Comments on Protecting Hospitals in Iraq

leron

Interesting slice-of-life-elsewhere piece.

And a very nice change-up from recent content. You have to like a 3-minute vlog that can jump from biking in Manhattan to standing guard at an Iraqi hospital.

But I could have used some more context. Why, exactly, do they need to frisk everyone coming into the hospital and guard the front door with automatic weapons? I know a hosopital or tweo in this country that follows similar procedures. But I bet the reasons are different.

I don\’t think you can just assume people elsewhere really understand why Iraqis must engage in behavior like this. There\’s a tendency for us observers-from-afar to oversimplify: \”Iraq is Crazytown.\”

Are they on guard against retaliatory strikes? Worried about suicide bombers taking out the ER?

The one detail given, that in the past some people were stealing drugs, adds an element to the story I did not know before. Please, tell me more.

AIB usually accompanies its vids, on its own site, with a lot of detail and background. Can anyone from there, perhaps, offer a link or two to put this story in perspective?

2 years ago ∞
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jess

Is the music from Brian Eno?

2 years ago ∞
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Mike Dixon

Hey, you know these security guards throughout the world seem to share similar traits, and functions, I\’ve noticed. Why, just this morning around 4:15am as I sat in the tractor of the 48ft semi reefer-trailer-delivery truck–that I drive for a living–at my last stop (at the UConn campus in Storrs, CT) of a two day solo run throughout New England (with a layover in Massachusetts) that begins on Monday night (and agian on Thursday night), the security guy drove up to unlock the gate for the loading/unloading area and then acknowledged me with a slight tip of his hat as he got back into his SUV as I began to jockey the rig back into the dock. He has no rifle like those Bagdad dudes in today\’s episode, but his function on that University is probably about the same: to keep people safe, and to protect the property of his employer. Pretty universal stuff.

[A little side note: driving a truck all by yourself throughout the night with nothing but the Sirius Radio, your own thoughts, and no human contact is metaphorically like being inside an aloof think-tank, or big-time major vault. Did I use that one here in the comments before? Ah, maybe. End of side note].

So now that I\’m home and back to my beloved computer(s) catching up on two days of internet-related stuff, I would like to add a comment about yesterday\’s RB episode, here. [And by the way (another side-track), does anyone know how to get a Blackberry to receive a streamed video onto a memory card as opposed to the built in memory? I keep getting an error message, and also I can\'t figure out how to get the fool thing to do online forms i.e. comment fields, et cetera, either.] This: I set up a MySpace account a long time ago, and although I do occasionally communicate with people on there I am inundated daily with 2, 3, or more \’friend\’ requests which turn out to be these bogus 20-something chicks with links to their porn sites or whatever. The majority of them are deleted, by Tom of MySpace I presume, before I can even log on (and of course I delete the ones that don\’t get filtered out). So MySpace leaves me with a bad taste. Does anyone else have that problem? I\’m assuming yes. I have been hesitant to try other sites because of this. But after watching yesterday\’s RB perhaps I\’ll try an account with another one, maybe Facebook. I admire its founder, \”the guy who turned down a billion dollar offer\” to buy his site.

Well, this type of endless ranting is what happens when I\’ve been awake since last night, and it\’s already 2 in the afternoon. GOOD NIGHT, Irene. (where does that phase come from? I\’ve always said it, but don\’t know its origin). = +

Oh wait, one more thing: I must hve missed this : What is the significance of \’9,000\’? Please, somebody un-ignorant-ize me of this!

Time to snooze, bye…

2 years ago ∞
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1. leron
  
  Ah, road buzz. Just reading this makes me nostalgic. Had some coffee this week, did we?
  
  I\’ve never encountered a think tank that maintains a standing 85 decibels, nor one with air-ride seats and a 13-speed RoadRanger to wrestle with. But your point is well taken. A few hours between the white lines and you can solve all the world\’s problems.
  
  And I never met a Principal Investigator who could back a rig into a 10-foot-wide slot in the mud, either.
  
  2 years ago ∞
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2. Bob Johnson
  
  Regarding MySpace, login to your home account, choose Account Settings, then Spam settings. There you can choose to require CAPTCHA entry (where you type letters you see in a picture) for myspace Comments, Friend Requests, and non-friend Messages. Essentially all spam is automated, so this will stop all spam and hijack attempts!
  
  2 years ago ∞
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3. Bob Johnson
  
  Google \”over 9000\”.
  
  2 years ago ∞
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Dave C

\”Good Night Irene\” was a song by The Weavers back in the \’50s. Check Wikipedia for more info.

2 years ago ∞
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BaghdadBrian

Hi Leron, if you follow the link to the episode on AiB that Rocketboom provided, you\\\’ll find a lot more information about the FPS. You can also get there by

2 years ago ∞
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BaghdadBrian

(let\\\’s try that again.. some weird error occurred)

Hi Leron, if you follow the link to the episode on AiB that Rocketboom provided, you\\\’ll find a lot more information about the FPS. You can also get there by

2 years ago ∞
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1. Kam
  
  Airplane, or maybe some 18 wheeler!
  
  2 years ago ∞
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  1. C-C
    
    Sshhhh! Mike needs his sleep so he can get back to making RB mashups.
    
    Google gas pumps coming to a service station near you. 4th up from bottom.
    
    2 years ago ∞
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  2. Kam
    
    omg! time to panic. While we wait for todays ep:
    LOS ANGELES (AP) — The impact of a strike by television and film writers was becoming more evident as the walkout entered its third day. Production on at least six sitcoms was halted because of the strike, and the hit ABC drama \”Desperate Housewives\” was scheduled to finish filming its latest episode Wednesday because it had run out of scripts. Filming on the 13th episode of the freshman ABC comedy \”Carpoolers\” was also set to finish Wednesday, ABC Studios spokeswoman Charissa Gilmore said. No new episodes have been ordered.
    TV writers, wtf, I could write crap for Desperate Housewives, how easy is that. I already write for \”Weeds\” well not actually write for but I do supply incentive for the show! It\’s all a bunch of mindless drivel anyway & I\’m good @ mindless drivel as you all know.
    lp
    
    2 years ago ∞
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  3. leron
    
    Mmmmmm…… mindless drivel……..oooaauuuggghhhhh.
    
    (sound of dripping saliva striking keyboard)
    
    2 years ago ∞
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