A Welcoming Community
Now I know you folks here will be just as happy as I was to read this one..and they say no good news is coming out of Iraq!!!! Maybe the NYT and the Wash Post needs to pay attention here…..
follow your lead here and drop to the suprise of a life time below the fold
This from the BBC
Lets give this achievement a very big hand….
I am so very worried for Riverbend and her family. My heart aches to this worry. It just seems that there is no end to this madness. This just has to stop! I search my soul for a solution that needs an immediate attention that is not getting it. I am just very worried…
see below the fold:
the New York Times
I have been checking every day and sometimes, sever times a day to see if Baghdad Burning has posted. I worry so that she is doing well or what is happening to her and her family and friends. Well, this morning was a relief. Here is her diary for today. My prayers that she and her family are ok, gives me hope and reassurance that just maybe she will make it through this rough time.
As you know blueneck has started a meet up in Memphis in May. We need you all to get your names in to us for a head count so we can do our thing…surprise…:o) Let me know by email if you want. Just be sure to say you are from booman so I will look into the mail otherwise, I wont. I do not want any virus’s, that is why, if I do not know who you are I will not open mail.
Thanks for your time…hope you will want a surprise…not to include some good BBQ and fun.
hugs ya all..
Just read her article and then think about it for a while. Do you agree? Hell I do and it is bout damn time we did something for a change. lets get busy instead of writing articles, lets do something…what ya say? With me or not?
Molly has hit base with me
How did you become the person that is here now?
What is it that made you the person that you have become?
Who is/was your hero/mentor?
Did it really matter to you about the lessons learned or taught?
Better yet, are you important to anyone who is considering you to be a hero/mentor?
Let me hear it from you folks and why it matters today, if it does, and if not why.
One of the most important persons I remember being very influential to me was the charge nurse in my hospital corps class at Gt. Lakes, Il. She took the time to help me through some very rough times for me, personally. Oh, I know, you say that is why she was there…no, really it wasn’t, but she did and I really did appreciate that…It gave me the confidence/courage in me that I really needed to give that very first shot and that was all it took for me to send the last 40+ years doing what I love best. It was the caring, interest, time-taking, steady hand [soft but oh so strong] and most of all her smile that gave me strength. I have never forgotten her for that very special thing she gave to me.
Now, yes, I gave a woman, online in a chat room, the umph she needed to get into nursing and to learn to drive a care. She lives in England. I became her mentor, so she said and if it weren’t for me, she would not have had the courage to learn to drive a car. She was so proud when she acomplished both goals. I am so very proud of here….
How about you?
I have my own personal beliefs of what needs to be done and it is not what is going on at Getmo! Just thought you would like to see some of the things I have been reading from my list of medical journals.
Frankly, I do not think they are being all that open in the medical aspect of things. HOpe you enjoy.
NEJM
Man alive, if only I could do some deep thinking here.
If only I had the smarts enough to figure this whole thing out.
What to do or what not to do, is the question. Do you know? see link below…
Seeing Baghdad, Thinking Saigon, I can sortta of see it… BUT truthout
According to Riverbend it is something she will someday realize she lived through.
[From the diaries by susanhu. This is a must-read, and it’s so great that Brenda caught Riverbend’s new post since she can only post irregularly. Thanks, Brenda, for bringing this to us so quickly.]
Come along as we read her words. I gather she is the best to hear this from anyhow.
Baghdad Burning
… I’ll meet you ’round the bend my friend, where hearts can heal and souls can mend…
Thursday, February 23, 2006
Tensions…
Things are not good in Baghdad.
There was an explosion this morning in a mosque in Samarra, a largely Sunni town. While the mosque is sacred to both Sunnis and Shia, it is considered one of the most important Shia visiting places in Iraq. Samarra is considered a sacred city by many Muslims and historians because it was made the capital of the Abassid Empire, after Baghdad, by the Abassid Caliph Al-Mu’tasim.
Continued below:
The name “Samarra” is actually derived from the phrase in Arabic “Sarre men ra’a” which translates to “A joy for all who see”. …
The mosque damaged with explosives today is the “Askari Mosque” which is important because it is believed to be the burial place of two of the 12 Shia Imams- Ali Al-Hadi and Hassan Al-Askari (father and son) who lived and died in Samarra. The site of the mosque is believed to be where Ali Al-Hadi and Hassan Al-Askari lived and were buried. Many Shia believe Al-Mahdi `al muntadhar’ will also be resurrected or will reappear from this mosque.
I remember visiting the mosque several years ago- before the war. We visited Samarra to have a look at the famous “Malwiya” tower and someone suggested we also visit the Askari mosque. …
We got there just as the sun was setting and I remember pausing outside the mosque to admire the golden dome and the intricate minarets. It was shimmering in the sunset and there seemed to be a million colors- orange, gold, white- it was almost glowing. The view was incredible and the environment was so peaceful and calm. There was none of the bustle and noise usually surrounding religious sites- we had come at a perfect time. The inside of the mosque didn’t disappoint either …
We woke up this morning to news that men wearing Iraqi security uniforms walked in and detonated explosives, damaging the mosque almost beyond repair. It’s heart-breaking and terrifying. There has been gunfire all over Baghdad since morning. The streets near our neighborhood were eerily empty and calm but there was a tension that had us all sitting on edge. We heard about problems in areas like Baladiyat where there was some rioting and vandalism, etc. and several mosques in Baghdad were attacked. I think what has everyone most disturbed is the fact that the reaction was so swift, like it was just waiting to happen.
All morning we’ve been hearing/watching both Shia and Sunni religious figures speak out against the explosions and emphasise that this is what is wanted by the enemies of Iraq- this is what they would like to achieve- divide and conquer. Extreme Shia are blaming extreme Sunnis and Iraq seems to be falling apart at the seams under foreign occupiers and local fanatics.
No one went to work today as the streets were mostly closed. … I don’t think I remember things being this tense … here’s so much talk of civil war and yet, with the people I know- Sunnis and Shia alike- I can hardly believe it is a possibility. Educated, sophisticated Iraqis are horrified with the idea of turning against each other, and even not-so-educated Iraqis seem very aware that this is a small part of a bigger, more ominous plan…
Several mosques have been taken over by the Mahdi militia and the Badir people seem to be everywhere. Tomorrow no one is going to work or college or anywhere.
… Read all of today’s post at Riverbend’s blog.
[Edited to comply with copyright restrictions – susanhu.]