I'm back from Baghdad. I'll post photos and write up more later. But for now, you may wish to know that Marwan, an Iraqi colleague of mine since 2004, is answering questions.

The conference is over, and we just finished a two-day training session for our resellers. We've had a lot of focus recently on improving the quality of VSAT installations. It's been 6 years since the fall of Baghdad; we can now move beyond the "just get it done" mentality and really focus on the long game ( Read more... )

I last saw Baghdad in October 2004, speeding through the streets of northern Baghdad in the back of Emad's Chevy Caprice. I miss those days. For Jayme and I, Baghdad became our home. We had friends, a home, a life there. A twisted life that our friends in America couldn't conceive of, but we were happy. We didn't want to leave ( Read more... )

It is hard being safe in Arbil while my friends for the past year go through so much in Baghdad without me.  I know that me being there wouldn't do a thing to keep them safe; in fact my presence puts them all at risk.  But I have led them for a long time, and to not be there for them now, when things are worst, tears me up inside ( Read more... )

As cuoredelmondo reports, two bombs exploded in the Green Zone today.  I had a team there this afternoon, working at a building next to one of the blast sites.  So I got the inside scoop.

The two bombs exploded at lunch time at two locations:

• The Green Zone Cafe - an Iraqi-owned restaurant, one of the longest running post-invasion restaurants in the Green ( Read more... )

It is mid-October, and Ramadan begins in two days.  The weather is turning cooler, although "cooler" is a highly subjective word.  I now find 35 degrees during the day with warm breezes to be quite pleasant ( Read more... )

The power situation hasn't gotten any better here.  Instead, Iraqis are finding their own solutions.

Marwan's house is in a Al-Adhamiya, a Sunni neighborhood that has always been populated by troublemakers for whoever is in charge.  Power there is less-reliable than the rest of Baghdad, and every attempt to repair the lines results in immediate ( Read more... )

As some of you have heard, two Americans and one Briton were kidnapped from their Al Mansur, Baghdad, home yesterday.  Let me give you some important information about why these men were idiots, and why slownewsday and I are not.

• They had only one company guard.  When he didn't show up, they had none.
• Their guard was obviously local (didn't live with them ( Read more... )

It is now official: Royal Jordanian can blow me.  We spent all day yesterday trying to board the Baghdad-Amman flight, only to be repeatedly delayed until all flights that day were cancelled.  We were promised a flight this morning, and so at 6:30 A.M. we dragged our tired selves down to the airport to try again.  And guess what?  Not only is the ( Read more... )

When I first decided to come to Baghdad, I knew the move would make or break my relationship with slownewsday.  As the time drew near, we pulled together.  The last few days together, spent in San Francisco in an emptying room, was one of the best times we've ever had.  We still call it "The Happy Time ( Read more... )