Saturday, June 24, 2006

The Security Situation in Iraq

No body can believe what is going on in Iraq those days.

100 workers kidnapped together during their way home after they finished their work, next day at the same place and the same time and from the same company 150 workers kidnapped !!!

I wonder, who have such capability of kidnapping more than 200 persons?, where they put them? And how they hide them? What they feed them? And how?
I can't think of who did it, unless he is as powerful as a government or work for the government. But why the government kidnapped it's own workers!?

Other strange thing that a General Director in the Ministry of Health kidnapped inside the Ministry building!!, isn't that suspicious?

A prof. from the University of Mosul went for some business to the Ministry of Intern. He shot dead at the front door of the ministry when he is in his way out!!

I will not mentions the number of bodies discovered every day at the streets of the main cities. Or the organized killing of the Doctors, the Scientists and the University lecturers.

I don't want to mention the explosions and the bombs targeted the Mosques and the shopping markets of both Sunnis and Sheeis.

All these and more happened at the hearing and the sight of the American troops which should be responsible for security in this occupied country.

YOU American if you can't control the security situation, leave now and let us solve our problems in our own way.

It will never be worse than the current situation.

Three years of occupation and despite the daily statements of the US official about the progress in the security, the condition progress from bad to worse.
Every day is worse than the previous.

Can any body imagine how the US super power together with the Iraqi Army and the Iraqi police and the allied forces from so many sources are all failed to control the chaos in this country.

This country was controlled in peace and security by the power of single Dictator.
Don't believe that this dictator killed people in his 35 years of control more than what was killed in 3 years of freedom and democracy under the US controls.

Back to Iraq

Amidst all the events in Iraq now, I feel it is complete irresponsible to write about the beauty of France and neglect the hill Of Iraq.

For those who want to see the picture of France and read my impression about it. They can find it here

Tuesday, June 13, 2006

Chateau De Versailles

In Versailles, we started our training program at the site of the GE company, 20 min. from our hotel by car.
Every day we left hotel about 7:30 am to reach the place before 8:00 am. The workstation started at 8:00 am till 5:30 pm with a break for the lunch at about 12:00 am. when we left the company we have to call for the taxi company to take us to the hotel, usually we reached the hotel about 6:00 pm or later. Surprisingly all the shops in the city closed at 7:00 pm except the restaurants.
After 7:00 pm we have only the park of the Chateau to go and enjoy the beautiful gardens and the fresh air. Even the park closed at 9:00 pm. when we go to our hotel for the diner which last at least two hours, and then went to sleep.
At the first weekend we visited the Chateau from inside, It is unbelievably wonderful.
I will show you some pictures of it.









More pictures.





Saturday, June 10, 2006

Versailles ... a beautiful city

When we reached Versailles, we were tired and disappointed from what we faced in the airport.
But this feeling gradually disappeared when we see the beauty of this city. It is small city with narrow streets and old buildings, but it's spirit was so wonderful that make any body feel as he is in another world.
Our hotel was few minutes from the famous palace of Versailles, they called it chateau De Versailles.

This is a picture of the Chateau De Versailles showing the left wing only, my camera is so small and I cant put it all in one picture and show the details at the same time.















The Chateau have a fantastic garden, with plenty of statues scattered here and there, they definitely represent some historical tales, but we don't know those tales, we just enjoy our selves with the calm and beauty of the park.

This is a view of very small part of that magnificent park















A statue in the middle of a lake















I have a lot of pictures at the park and inside the palace.
I will try to show them to you in the next posts.

More pictures.




Friday, June 09, 2006

A visit to France .... cont.

The plane take off at its scheduled time, we reached the Amman international airport, in Jordan. the company correspondent, Ahmad, (is his name) was with us, he took us to the Hyatt grand hotel. We reached the hotel at 7:00 pm we were very tired, as we were on our feet from 9:00 am, and without lunch except the food served in the plane.

After we took a rest we gathered in the lobby of the hotel, Ahmad invite us for a dinner in one of the restaurant in the hotel, it was Thailand restaurant, serve special Asian food, mainly sea food. For the first time in my life I ate Shrimp and other Sea food, for the truth some of it was very delicious. we went to sleep at 12:00 pm to be ready for the next trip to Paris at 5:00 am.
We were ready at time, Ahmad took us to the airport, but unfortunately, he couldn't get the Visa to accompany us to Paris.

He gave us the tickets, the reservation in the Hotel in France and the phone number of the responsible person in Paris who suppose to meet us at the airport.
The direction of the plane was toward the west, so we gain two hour, the time difference between Iraq and France. The trip last 4.5 hours.
We reached Paris, there were a heavy rain in Paris at that time, the airport was over crowded. but we didn't found any body in the airport from the company, we keep looking for any sign or any thing to know if there is any one to take us to our hotel. All of us were in Paris for the first time, no one of us speak french, which was a big problem their.

After an hour or so of fruit less waiting, we called the number Ahmad gave us, when we informed that no body came to meet us because it was Sunday and it is weekend, but we get confirmation that the hotel reservation is OK, and we have to take taxis to the hotel by ourselves, and cars will be waiting for us next morning to take us to the company.

We took 3 taxis, gave the address to the drivers, they took us to our hotel which was in the city of Versailles. it take about an hour to reach the hotel in that rainy day.

We are now in France, Versailles is one of the most beautiful city I have ever seen.

to be continue

Sunday, June 04, 2006

A visit to France

The Iraqi Ministry of Health bought a Gamma Cameras for the Nuclear Medicine centers in Iraq.
One of these Cameras was for Mosul Nuclear Medicine.
The Cameras we bought are up to date and need special skills and knowledges to operate it, and to interprete the results.

They chose two doctors from Mosul to train on the usage of this Camera in the country where it has been build (France), I was one of those two doctors.

April 30/2006 was the date in which we suppose to take the plane to Paris. the company correspondence in Iraq supposed to take care of the visa and the plane reservation. He took our passport for this purposes.

He sent me an e mail to be in Baghdad in a well known place where other doctors from Baghdad are gathered, to take special cars to take us to the airport. our date was at 9:00 am on 4/30/2006. our plane take of at 3:30 pm.
The extra time was to overcome any difficulties or problems in the road to the airport.

As you may know, the road from Mosul to Baghdad is not save, and not always easy to reach Baghdad. so we decided to go to Baghdad one day in advance just in case there is any problem in the road.

We arrange a taxi with a professional driver to pick us at 6:00 am just after the end of the curfew.
At 6:30 we were in the taxi ready to go, but all the bridges of the city were closed for no clear reason.
We stayed in the car waiting for the bridge to open till 11:00 am where they allow the cars to cross the bridge, but one at a time, we cross the bridge and so we pass the first obstacle, as we knew later the bridges closed again few minutes later for the rest of the day.

At the city of Baiji, mid way to Baghdad there was an explosion and the main street was closed, we forced to take a detour in an unpaved side way, after we left Baiji by few tens of kilometers there was a three American vehicle closing the high-way and all the car are forced to drive in the farms where there is no distinct way, just find a way to drive your car through and go on. It take about 45 minute in such a miserable sandy way.

After that the road to Baghdad was open with no problem except when we met an American high-way patrol, they move very slowly and don't allow any car to pass them, cars wait till they took an exit or change their way to move in their ordinary speed. We reached Baghdad about 6:00 PM. It was a 12 hours trip,usually take only 4 hours.

The next day we were all ready at the specified place , but a little problem arise, our passports are still in the French embassy for the Visas, the company correspondence suppose to pick the visa in the morning and meet us at 9:00 am. but he didn't show up. at 11:00 am we get him at his mobile phone, he told us that there were fire-shoot at the vicinity of the embassy and the road to the embassy is closed and he couldn't reach it, at 1:00 pm he call us saying he reached the embassy and waiting there for the passports and Visas. at 2:00 pm he arrived with the Taxis to take us to the airport.

We reached the Airport safely and completed the necessary arrangement and took our seats in the plane just at time.

Thanks God we are now in our way to Paris.

To be continued

I am back

Hi every body

I am back. I am writing from mosul now after a 33 day out,in France.
It was a an afficial bussiness visit, but there were a lot of fun and social activities.
I am preparing my self for a new posts describing my impression about what I saw there.
It is difficult to describe all the beuty and charm of France in few words, but I will try.